The Volturi Witch of Hogwarts- Part 2
by Scottishchick1786
Summary: After being changed by a vampire and helping Harry destroy the Dark Lord once and for all. Hermione makes a deal with Aro, the leader of the Volturi, to save her friends and loved ones. Leaving Hogwarts she starts a new life and journey in Volterra, home of the Volturi coven. Will she be accepted by them and can she fight with them against a new powerful enemy? Some SS/HG and AV/HG
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone here is Part 2. The last time TVWOH was up I just kept it as one story, this time I'm putting it up as three parts because of how big it was. I hope this is better for you. Xx**

 **Part Two- Volterra**

 **Chapter One**

It didn't matter how much Hermione tried to rationalise things in her mind, the truth of the matter was she was leaving Hogwarts, her home, her life. She was leaving all of her friends, the family that she had adopted over the years, and she was leaving the man that she loved. She was leaving behind everything she had ever known or cared about in order to enter into a new world, a world which was unfamiliar to her. She felt like that young girl again who had just found out she was a witch and would be entering the world of magic for the first time. But this was completely different. This was not the Wizarding World.

Hermione would be living in a totally different country with people, no not people, but vampires who she knew nothing about. Well except that they were all powerful in their own right and that in their world, they were basically seen as Royalty and governed the vampires. The Volturi made the laws and expected all vampires to follow them. If they didn't and broke the law, depending on the severity of such law breaking they would be tried and sentenced, sometimes to death. Their methods may have appeared to be medieval but they worked. Nothing was more important to the Volturi than keeping their race a secret from humans. Hermione could understand that law as it was the same in the Wizarding World. They had the International Statue of Secrecy which hid the Wizarding community from Muggles and hid the world that they lived in.

To say she wasn't terrified about this new chapter in her life would be wrong. She would be lying if she said she wasn't scared out of her mind, despite how powerful she may be. The truth was she was nervous and scared as hell. She didn't know what to expect and didn't know anything about the vampires she would be living with from now on. Also because she was magical as well as being a vampire, Hermione wasn't even sure if they would even accept her. Aro did of course, but that was only because he saw her as a prize, someone he could use to gain the things that he wanted. In the magical world, because of her blood status as a Muggleborn witch, she hadn't been accepted like others had, especially the Purebloods. A part of her didn't want to face all of that again, just because she wasn't like other vampires. She hoped that they could accept her for who she was, maybe not straight away but eventually.

Sitting next to Aro on the Volturi's private plane with Felix and Demetri sitting across from her, she glanced shyly at him from the corner of her eye and watched as he sat rubbing his chin absentmindedly, appearing deep in thought. She would have loved to have used Legilimency on him but since he was the main leader of the Volturi, she thought it probably best not to invade his mind like that. Despite the fact that she was his prize, she got the feeling that he would be one of those leaders who would turn against a vampire if they provoked him too far. She had seen his thoughts by using his own power against him and saw the things that he was capable of. Hermione didn't know him and so didn't know how far she could take things with him just yet.

He was so elegant and sophisticated and unlike anyone she had ever met before. His body was poised and graceful, with one leg crossed over the other. His raven hair fell gently over one shoulder and down his back. His appearance was neat and suave with nothing out of place. He had taken off his long black and red cloak, but still wore the Volturi crest around his neck. He was lean and slender and was a lot taller than she was. His pale skin was flawless and was a sharp contrast to his black hair and red eyes. Looking at him now he was like a darker more elegant version of Lucius Malfoy. She had to stifle a chuckle at this thought and knew for certain that Lucius would not appreciate being compared to a vampire. Despite how much his views had changed over the years.

Even to Hermione, she had to admit that Aro was attractive and sitting in close proximity to him now, wasn't helping her thoughts either. She could feel his presence next to her and could feel that same pull towards him. Every time his leg brushed against hers, an electric current fired through her. She hated her body's treacherous response to him and cursed herself for feeling the way that she did, not to mention she couldn't understand it. Aro was married and she loved Severus that was all that mattered. Also she wasn't even sure if she liked him as a vampire or not yet. The impression he had given her so far wasn't favourable. But impressions could be changed in time. She knew that from experience.

She turned her head away from the man by her side and gazed out of the window longingly. Although she knew that in her heart she didn't want to leave her home, she knew it was for the best. If she hadn't the Volturi would have kept coming for her, putting her friends and loved ones in danger. If she stayed she would be putting the school and all the innocent students in danger as well. And Hermione could not take that chance. Too much had been lost already and it wasn't fair to put everyone through all of that again just for her. What would be the point in saving them from one War only to have them enter into an impossible War with the Volturi? She knew that despite their magic they could not win against such powerful vampires as them. Not even with her on their side. She was powerful in her own right but even then she might not be able to defend everyone from them. No, that was definitely a risk she could not take. And so she done the only thing that she could to protect them, she left and joined their coven. Hopefully with her being there, Aro would keep his promise and let her loved ones be since he had his prize now.

So here she was in a plane with three vampires heading to Italy, a place she was unfamiliar with, where she would now live. Other than that she had no idea what else to expect. Only time would tell.

Sitting back against the chair she let her mind wander to Severus. She felt a heavy ache in her chest when she recalled the pained expression on his face when she said goodbye to him. She could still see the hurt and pleading in his eyes, and could still hear the sound of his voice as he begged her not to go. She never meant to hurt him, as he had been through so much already without her adding more heartache, and yet she did. And no matter what, she would never forgive herself for that. He would never forgive her either, not that she could blame him. She just hoped that he didn't hate her.

Her other regret was not saying goodbye properly to Remus and for spoiling his and Dora's big day. But Hermione knew, as selfish as it was, that it would be hard enough saying goodbye to Severus without also adding her best friend as well. She knew that it was the cowardly thing to do and that he deserved more than what he got from him.

Her thoughts turned to the Headmaster, and her hand automatically flexed as she sought the comforting feel of her wand. But of course she had left it in his safe hands. She felt like a part of her was missing and the further she moved away from it, the fainter the call of her wand grew. Hermione wasn't stupid, she knew her wandless magic was good but wouldn't be as powerful as what it would have been if she wielded her wand. The Volturi didn't know that piece of information however, which is the way she wanted it kept. Aro wanted power and he was getting that in Hermione, he just wasn't getting her at full strength. They didn't need any more power than what they had and if she was to be used for her talents, then she was determined to get some say in the matter. The other reason for her leaving it with Dumbledore was if she ever did need her wand again, then she could always use that as a valid reason to go home. Without that reason she wasn't sure if Aro would ever let her leave Volterra and go back to the Wizarding World now that he had her in his clutches.

The plane journey continued on in silence causing Hermione to wonder if Demetri and Felix were silent because Aro, their leader, was silent, or because they were wary of her.

Chancing a glance at them, she noticed the impassive expressions on both of their handsome faces; yet as they stared openly at her, she saw the curiosity burn deep in their red eyes. So they must be silent because of the former reason then, she thought.

With a deep sigh she turned to them both and quirked an eyebrow at them, a look very similar to one of Severus's trademark expressions.

"I can see the questions burning in your eyes so go ahead and ask whatever it is you want to know." She said. "I will try and be as honest as I can." She smiled slyly. After all she wasn't going to let them know everything, then they could figure out her weaknesses and use that against her.

All three vampires turned their attention to her, while Aro looked between them.

As if waiting for Aro's permission neither Felix nor Demetri said anything until he nodded his head in approval.

"It's alright you may ask your questions." Aro replied in that sing song voice of his. If he was honest with the others, which he wouldn't be of course, he was just as curious about the girl himself. He was beyond thrilled that she was here and that she was joining the Volturi, but he wanted to know more about her. He also wanted to explore the connection her felt with her and see if she really was his mate or not. If it turned out she was then what would happen to his wife? He couldn't just toss her aside, but then if she was then he couldn't ignore that either. These were questions that he would need to figure out in due course.

Sitting next to Hermione, oh how he loved the sound of her name, was like sweet torture to him. He could feel the pull towards her and wanted nothing more than to ravish her right then and there. He wanted to touch and explore every part of her delectable body, but most of all he wanted to mark her as his. Despite the fact that he and Sulpicia were married, he had always known they weren't true mates. He had turned her at the time because he wanted a wife, Caius and Marcus were married with their true mates and he wanted that as well, without having to wait until he found a mate. And so once he had laid eyes on Sulpicia, he fell in love and turned her. He didn't feel that same connection with her, just affection and the need to protect her, partially because he was a possessive man and didn't share what was his. With Hermione it felt different and so much more.

He would need the help of Marcus's power to see if what he felt for Hermione was the real thing or not. The only problem he may have encountered was gone; he had removed Hermione from the clutches of that wizard who posed a threat. But even still, keeping them apart would be easier said than done. He couldn't stop her from going back to him, despite the fact that he would try his damndest.

"How were you able to get a heartbeat if you're a vampire?" Felix asked curiously. He could hear the odd heartbeat coming from her chest. It sounded unlike any heart he had ever heard before, but there it was beating away. Her eyes looked like a normal colour as well, but despite this she was still an immortal vampire like he was. It was strange and fascinating as no-one had ever heard of such a phenomenon occurring before. He had heard the three Volturi leaders discussing it the night after they had marched onto the grounds of the castle. They too were baffled and excited by this new development but remained wary also.

Hermione gazed out of the window and bit her lower lip in thought. Even she wasn't sure about the answer to that particular question. She thought back to what Dumbledore and Mr Ollivander had told her but even they had been vague in their explanation. Finally, after a quiet moment, she turned her gaze to Felix and said,

"Honestly I don't know. All I remember was helping my friend defeat the Dark Lord and saving the man that I love from death." She turned her gaze away and tried not to think about the way that she had lost control and nearly killed him instead. "I left and collapsed on a hill and before I went unconscious I saw visions of everyone I loved flash through my mind, the last one being him. I was in a coma for days and when they put my wand back in my hand, the magic pulsated through me and I woke up. Dumbledore seemed to think it was the ancient magic of love that caused my heart to beat, but I don't know. It's a mystery I guess."

Felix and Demetri looked at each other and smirked at her explanation. Not believing in the power of love. While Aro looked away feeling his jealousy rage at her explanation. If that was true, then the dark wizard posed more of a threat than he first believed. Then there was the way in which she said 'the man I love' instead of loved. She obviously still had strong feelings for the dark wizard, which could prove to be a difficult obstacle for him if he wanted to explore their connection further.

"Do you have a wand then?" Demetri asked. "Since you know, you're a witch." He grinned again, obviously thinking that magical beings were inferior to vampires.

Hermione clenched her teeth together, with her hand flexing again at the loss. If she had her wand she would have hexed, or tried to hex Demetri's ass for his superior attitude. She looked at him and said,

"Yes I do but I didn't bring it with me. I don't need a wand to do magic; I have the ability to cast wandless spells."

Despite Demetri's initial superior attitude, the look on both vampires' faces reminded her so much of the look in Emmett's, the first time they had met. He had been so excited by the prospect of magic and right now Felix and Demetri looked just the same.

"Can you perform magic for us now?" Felix asked sounding just like an excited child at Christmas.

Hermione shook her head no then said,

"Unfortunately I can't at the moment." She whispered.

"But you just said you can perform magic without a wand." Felix's voice sounded accusing and he wore what Hermione would have called a stroppy pout.

She couldn't help but laugh at the disappointed looks on their faces.

"I can but unfortunately if I was to perform magic on this plane right now; it would interfere with the electrics and would probably cause the plane to crash. Either that or the plane would explode. And I don't know about you two but I really don't fancy that happening."

Aro was listening to the conversation intently, although gave no outward signs of his curiosity. How interesting that piece of information was? So her magic could interfere with electricity. He wondered in what way it would interfere, this would need to be something that he looked into further.

"That sounds pretty cool. Not the plane crashing bit." Demetri laughed. "So I'm curious what is it like in your world? I mean how are you all able to hide it from humans?"

Hermione leaned back in her chair and crossed her leg, while contemplating how much she should tell them. It wouldn't do any harm for her to explain the basics; it wasn't like it was a secret with regards to vampires.

"I can't speak for everyone but I will explain my experience. The Wizarding World has a sort of hierarchy with regards to blood purity." At the mention of blood Felix grinned and she caught the blood lust flash briefly in his eyes. She giggled and shook her head in dismay. "I don't mean like that. I mean there are those who are Purebloods, witches and wizards who come from generations of magic. They think that they are superior because magic runs in their family. Then you have the half-bloods. Those are witches and wizards who have one magical parent and one non-magical parent. Half-bloods are accepted in society but they aren't as superior as Purebloods of course. Then you have witches and wizards like me a muggleborn, someone who is born with magic but has no magical relatives. Muggles by the way are non-magical normal human beings."

Again Aro listened to Hermione's explanation with a keen interest. So the girl was naturally powerful and was born with magic, even though magic didn't run in her family. If she had such powers as a normal witch, then he shuddered to think about the extent of her powers as a vampire. Excitement tore through him at the thought that she was now his. She truly was marvellous.

"I got my letter when I was 11 telling me I was a witch and would be going to Hogwarts, which is the name of the magical school by the way." She continued. "I always knew growing up that I was different, I could make things appear or could change the appearance of things just by thinking it. So when the letter arrived for me it explained so much. My parents were unnerved by the news; after all they never believed magic really existed until then, so it was new to me and to them. I was so excited about meeting other people like me, but little did I know at the time about the blood status problem."

Felix leaned forward and asked,

"What blood status problem?"

Hermione sighed then continued on with her tale.

"According to the Wizarding World those who were muggleborns were seen as inferior. They said our blood was dirty and we had no right to perform magic. We were called Mudbloods."

Demetri frowned and looked at her quizzically.

"I don't understand, wouldn't muggleborns be classed as being even more superior since you were born with magic with no prior magical relations?"

Demetri's question took her off guard momentarily. Perhaps she had been too quick to judge him before, as she liked his way of thinking.

"Perhaps the Purebloods had been threatened." Felix chipped in, obviously agreeing with Demetri's observation.

"Maybe, but you have to realise that the Pureblood generation were set in their ways. They didn't believe that magical beings should associate or reproduce with non-magical beings." She looked at them and smiled. "Isn't that the same in the vampire world that vampires and normal human beings can't socialise with each other or have intimate relations?"

Demetri and Felix looked at each other and grinned mischievously before Demetri said,

"Did being a vampire stop you from having relations with that wizard guy?"

If Hermione could have blushed she would have. She and Severus had only slept with each other that one time, but yes they had still had relations despite the fact the she was a vampire witch and he was a wizard and still human. She saw the marks she had left on his pale body and understood why humans and vampires weren't supposed to be intimate.

"I don't think my private life is of any concern to you." She said stiffly, her voice betraying the truth.

The two vampires grinned knowingly at each other, while Aro gripped the armrest of his seat with jealousy. He really needed to learn to control his emotions around Hermione. They both had pasts and it wasn't like she was actually his. Yet. He also had Sulpicia as well.

"Anyway when I attended Hogwarts." She continued on, dismissing the smug looks on the other two vampire's faces. "I became best friends with two boys in my year who got me into some trouble." She said wistfully as she thought about all the things she, Ron and Harry had gotten up to throughout the years. "We fought a troll, a three headed dog, I was petrified by a snake, we almost got attacked by a werewolf, we got in a fight with powerful dark witches and wizards, and I lured a toadlike woman into the Forest and watched as she got carted off by centaurs. Those were the days." She laughed. "It was during the battle with the dark wizards that a vampire turned me. And well I guess you know the rest of my story.

The two vampires laughed and agreed with her.

"Yeah we saw a few snippets of you. Remind us not to get on your bad side, I get the impression you're a bit of a badass." Demetri smiled causing Hermione to laugh.

"I'm hardly a badass. In school I was a little Miss Goody two shoes and a swat, always reading in the library and studying within an inch of my life. In fact Severus used to call me 'an insufferable know-it-all.'" She smiled fondly at the memory and wished for anything in the world to hear him call her that again in his silken baritone voice that she loved. Who knew how long she would be here or if she would ever see him again. That thought was unbearable and caused her heart to clench painfully. Shaking her head to rid herself of the maudlin thoughts she looked at the two male vampires across from her, who were sitting watching her curiously before she said, "It's more a case of me not tolerating folk trying to hurt the people that I love. Or an evil maniac trying to take over the world and kill my friend. Also like the vampire world we have something called the International Statue of Secrecy which means we follow the laws to keep our world secret. We aren't allowed to tell muggles or perform magic in front of them. If we do our wands could be snapped and we could be tossed out of the Wizarding World with our minds obliviated."

All three male vampires heard the edge to her voice and the promise that it held. She would be a person that would be both admired and feared in their world and if she wasn't then more fool the vampires who got in her way. It was perhaps a good thing that she was joining their side and so would be a friend and not a foe.

Aro was impressed once more by what he heard. She was intelligent by the sounds of things if what she said was true about her love of books and study. One of the joys of being a vampire was that there was plenty of time to do both, since they didn't sleep. The Volturi actively encouraged this as for them knowledge was power, and the more knowledge you had the more power you could wield. He also liked that fact that she was so protective of the ones she cared for. He could imagine her settling well into his family, for that is what his coven was, his family. And hopefully in time Hermione would also become a part of this family, and maybe she would become just as protective at the Volturi Coven as she was the people back in her old world. That was his hopes and aspirations for her but he was no fool, he could see that she was also stubborn and may play hard to get for a while.

Hermione gazed at Felix and Demetri once more and smiled, she was rather enjoying their company and chat, although Aro was less talkative than she had imagined. She hoped that perhaps the two male vampires had accepted her for who she was. Maybe this was even the beginning of new friendships.

"So tell me about your world. About being a vampire and living with the Volturi in Volterra. I haven't heard much regarding your coven and have little experience of being a vampire myself." She said honestly.

As soon as the words were out of her mouth both Felix and Demetri stiffened and looked over to Aro. Her gaze followed theirs and she caught him shaking his head momentarily, the raven hair that hung over his shoulder slipping down his back. For the first time since their trip began he locked gazes with Hermione, causing a jolt of heat to run through her body at the intensity of his look. If she could breathe this one look would have stolen the breath from her leaving her breathless. But she used her occlumency shield to hide her reaction from him. It wouldn't do for him to see how he affected her so. He would probably only use that to his advantage.

"That my dear is something we shall discuss when we arrive in Volterra with my brothers. There is much for you to learn and understand about our world before you fully join the Volturi." He smiled at her, that same boyish grin he had used that day at the Ministry causing her stomach to flip, before he turned away from her once again leaving her bereft.

What was going on? She scolded herself, feeling irritated by the way she was acting around him, like she was some kind of lovesick schoolgirl. It wasn't just her body that was being treacherous it was also her mind as well. She felt like she was betraying Severus by feeling this way, yet despite the protests in her mind, she could not stop it.

The group descended into silence once more as Hermione gazed out of the window again. It was dark outside now, the only light she could see came from the land down below. Aro had explained that the Volturi, when they did travel which wasn't very often, travelled during the night so as not to be seen by humans. They tried to avoid as much interaction with humans as possible. She already knew that was one of the laws they had made. She knew that this same rule didn't apply to her friends back at Hogwarts, for they weren't just mere humans but magical as well. Both worlds knew about the other, although they didn't appear to know much.

Hermione laid her head back against the chair and let her thoughts drift over everything. She still couldn't believe she was here with these people. It would take some getting used too. Her thoughts then moved to the raven Dumbledore had bought her. She wondered if Dante would be at Volterra waiting for her, she hoped that he was since he would now be her last link to the world she had left behind. Ravens had more endurance than owls and could travel further. She didn't plan on writing home often, but at least she knew she could if she so wished.

"This is your Captain speaking; we will be landing at the Siena-Ampugnano Airport in approximately ten minutes. Please make sure that your seat belts are fastened for landing. Thank you."

At the Captain's words Hermione's nerves began to kick in again. This was it there was no turning back now. All she had left to do was meet the huge group of vampires who would be waiting for her. She could do this she had faced them all before, although granted last time it had been in preparation for a big fight. She hoped that they didn't hold her previous behaviour against her.

The four vampires remained silent as they waited for the plane to land. It wasn't an awkward silence more of a getting prepared for what was to come kind of silence, which Hermione was grateful for. This gave her time to get her feelings and nerves under control once more. She had a reputation as a badass it appeared, and maybe that wasn't a bad thing for the others to believe for now until she could gauge their response to her.

Once the plane had come to a standstill the doors opened and Demetri and Felix lead the way to the blacked out car awaiting them. Aro stepped before Hermione and held the door open graciously to her. As she ducked in, he used the opportunity to guide her into the car by laying his hand against the small of her back. The feel of her lithe body was intoxicating to Aro, and like a drug he wanted more of her. But for now the brief contact would have to do.

As the car pulled away Hermione sat back and watched as she began the final journey to what would be her new home. It was then she realised that another chapter had ended in her life and a new chapter was just beginning. Despite her previous thoughts about being scared she was also excited by it. She did wonder what the vampire world would be like and now she would get to taste it for herself. After all she was Hermione Granger, the same person who enjoyed learning new things, the same person who enjoyed taking on new challenges and attempting new things. Now that she was here with Aro and the Volturi, she would make the most of her experience and try to learn everything that she could. That's what Hermione Granger had done before, when she first entered the magical world, and that's what she would do again. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad after all, maybe she just needed time.

* * *

Back at Hogwarts the party had long ago stopped for everyone the moment Hermione had gone. A big void had been left in her wake, as tears had flowed and tempers had flared. Everyone who knew Hermione felt hurt by her leaving, and despite what Dumbledore had told them no-one had fully understood why she had to leave.

This was especially true for Severus who stood on the Astronomy tower gazing out into the night sky, tears streaking down his pale face, as he gripped on tightly to the railings, so that his knuckles had turned white.

He had left the party hours ago and came straight here and had not moved from this spot since. He couldn't understand why she had left him, him the man she was supposedly in love with. He could not hide the anger, hurt and betrayal that she caused. Had she always planned on leaving to go with _him_ , after all she and the leader of the Volturi had already met at the Ministry of Magic. Had they stopped and discussed plans of her moving to Italy, the place of romance, to be with him. Had she just been leading him on all of this time? She had known his heart had been broken once yet what she had just done to him was so much worse than anything he had ever felt before.

He hung his head, letting his hair hide his face, as the pain he felt crushed him. He did not hear the saddened older wizard come up behind him. Nor did he show any sign when the wizard put his hand on the younger man's shoulder.

"Despite what you may think Severus, Hermione did not mean to hurt you. I do believe that she genuinely loved you and had no intentions of leaving." He did not want to tell the broken hearted wizard that he had been warned about his feelings for the young woman. Now was not the time for 'I told you so's'.

"Then why did she leave me Albus? Why did she have to go with him?" He spat the last word out, despite the fact that his voice sounded so grave.

Dumbledore sighed and looked over to the Forbidden Forest, the twinkle in his eyes long gone.

"She knew the dangers that her staying here would pose for us. Hermione knew that should she stay the Volturi would keep coming for her putting our lives and the school in danger. You know Hermione; she would never have let that happen. She loves us all too much."

Severus scoffed at the old fool's words and pulled away from him. Wiping his face from tears as discreetly as he possibly could.

"Don't make me laugh Albus. She never gave us a chance. We could have fought to protect her; we don't even know if they would have come back or not." The anger in his voice could be heard with every word that was spoken. Right now he wasn't sure if he should hate her or love her still.

"Severus she saw Aro's thoughts, of course she knew. Hermione only ever wanted to protect us all. You cannot hate her for that. My dear boy you knew the risks you were taking when you started a relationship with her. She is a vampire you are a wizard it would never have worked."

Severus growled and slammed his fist against the wall.

"I loved her and she still walked away."

"And she loved you. Do you think it was any easier for her to leave you Severus? Think about it. She is a vampire but when she said goodbye to you she done the impossible, she cried. She loves you my dear boy, do not think otherwise. But she had to leave to save us."

Severus hung his head again and tried to take in a shuddering breath, as he recalled the look of despair on her beautiful face, and the single tear that ran down her cheek. She loved him, he knew that but it didn't take away the pain that he felt at having lost her.

Dumbledore stepped forward once more and laid his hand gently on Severus's back. The young man was like a son to him, and even though he knew he never always treated him well, he was determined to change that from this point onwards. Reaching into the pocket of his robes he pulled out Hermione's wand and placed it carefully into the young man's hand.

"Before Hermione left she told me to take this, she said it would be a reason to come back. I think you should keep it for her, for when she comes back home to you."

Severus let his hand curl around her wand, he could feel the magic pulsate through it, but somehow it didn't feel right in his hand. It needed its master back as well. Tucking it safely up his sleeve he looked at Dumbledore for the first time and gave a small nod of his head.

"Thank you Albus I appreciate it and I promise to keep it safe. For her." He whispered sadly. Despite his pain and hurt at the way she had left, he could not hate her after everything. He did know the risk he was taking when he decided to be with her, but still it didn't make things any easier.

"Come let's get you back inside. You are freezing cold my dear boy and need to get warmed up."

All Severus could do was nod in agreement as the Headmaster lead him back into the building and towards his room in the dungeon. When he passed Hermione's old quarters, his eyes lingered on the door before he was finally able to tear his gaze away. He wondered what she was doing at the moment and if she was thinking about him. He would need to find a way to move on with his life until she was once again back in his arms where she belonged. All he could do for now was hope that day would come and soon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

The blackened out car transporting the four vampires, perhaps even five as Hermione wasn't at all sure if the driver of the car was also a vampire or not. She would have thought so since one of the laws of the Volturi was to keep their world a secret from humans. It sped down the long and narrow road heading towards Volterra, the place that would now be her home.

Day had long since turned into night and Hermione couldn't actually say what time it was. It felt to her like they had been traveling for so long, but the closer they came to their destination the more nervous she became. She was about to step into the home of a number of powerful vampires and that thought to her was incredibly daunting.

Her gaze flickered over to Aro who sat staring out of the window. She dearly hoped that since he was the leader of the Volturi, and since he was the one who wanted her here that the others would let her be. After the journey she felt like she was beginning to get on with Demetri and Felix as well, but that probably didn't mean much at the moment. They had known the others for a lot longer, they were a coven and a family after all. Who was she really to them? She was a nobody. Just someone who was a bizarre mixture of witch and vampire. Someone who peaked their leader's curiosity. Yes, she was unique in their world but she had no bonds or ties with the others. If this was to be her home she hoped that would change, for her own sake if not for theirs.

As her own thoughts ran rampant through her mind, Aro who had been gazing out of the window barely noticing as the scenery flew by, was also having similar thoughts to Hermione. She was a prize indeed and was more powerful than anything he had ever seen before. He just hadn't seen just how powerful she was yet and in time hoped to explore that more. After all that was one of the reasons why she was here now.

His coven, as impressive as they were, had nothing on her. He knew when he had told the others that she would be joining them, they were not at all happy with this idea. At least some of them weren't like Jane. She felt put out because Hermione was stronger than her and her brother Alec, which had been proven during their little fight at the castle. They had always been Aro's strongest fighters in the coven and his most prized members. They were also the most feared amongst the vampires as everyone knew how they decimated the Romanian coven, making the Volturi gain the power in the vampire world. Now that Hermione was joining them, they felt like they were being replaced in a way. Which they weren't of course. Aro was greedy and selfish and would never give up such talents as there's no matter what. But despite his reassurances, they were unhappy. He knew that Hermione's presence would stir up some unrest, but hopefully when they saw the potential in her like he did, that they would accept her. If they didn't well he wasn't sure what he would do. He couldn't abandon his coven, his family, and he would never give up his leadership for anyone. But her powers and the fact that she could be his mate was to alluring to let go as well. So he hoped that they would all adjust and get on with each other. He wanted it all, including a happy powerful coven.

Demetri and Felix however were more curious and accepting about her and so had been the obvious choice to escort him and Hermione back to Volterra. They were not intimidated or put off by her magic, in fact they were perhaps a little too interested in her. He was no fool and understood the lure of a new female to someone who was mateless. He hadn't told anyone about the connection he shared with her yet, just in case he was wrong, and so couldn't claim her or keep her away from other males in his coven. He did have Sulpicia so in their eyes he was taken. But still he would need to keep an eye on them. Just the thought of her with another male, especially one he knew and saw as family, fanned the flames of jealousy within him.

Hermione gazed out of the window taking in the sights of couples holding hands and embracing lovingly in the moonlight, as they strolled around the streets carefree and happy. Italy seemed to be the place of romance and from what she saw it seemed true. She couldn't see much of the buildings or the famous architecture, and sighed as she realised that she probably wouldn't get to see any of the sights during the day either.

"Why the sigh my dear?" Aro asked from beside her, finally breaking the silence.

Hermione had to admit that she loved the sound of his voice. Severus had a deep silky baritone voice that was sexy as sin. But Aro's voice was so different and sexy nonetheless. It was elegant with a hint of accent and had a soft luring magical lilt to it. He sounded breathy and childlike at times, despite the fact he looked very much like a tall, dark and handsome man. Hermione suddenly scolded herself for her thoughts. She couldn't believe she had just compared the man she loved to Aro. They were totally different and neither one would probably enjoy being compared to the other. Especially not Severus, she could just imagine the snide comment he would have given her at the idea.

"Sorry I was just gazing out of the window thinking how romantic Italy appeared and I just wished I could see some of places in the light of day. Of course I understand that I can't but still, a girl can wish."

Aro felt surprised that she would take such an interest in her new settings but was pleased none the less. She was right though, parts of Italy were indeed beautiful to behold, but because of the risk of exposure the sun had on them, the Volturi rarely ventured outside. Especially not the three leaders.

"I am sorry my dear but you are indeed correct. We do not risk exposure and so hardly leave our home. The only times we do leave are when circumstances require our immediate attention." Such as going to investigate the Cullen's and them making an immortal child. Or going to investigate the witch who was turned into a vampire. Even though he didn't say it out loud, Hermione knew that's what he had been thinking, but she never brought the subject up either. Instead she asked.

"What about hunting, surely you must leave your home to hunt? Otherwise you wouldn't be as healthy looking as you are now?" Hermione would have blushed because the way she said that last part sounded as if she was flirting with him, which she wasn't.

Aro tilted his head back and laughed, the sound sending shivers down Hermione's spine. It sounded like the sweetest most sensual music she had ever heard. He was so open with his smiles and laughter, again she couldn't help but think how unlike Severus he was in that respect.

"I love your inquisitive nature mio caro but we do not hunt in Volterra. It is one of our own rules."

She frowned as she gazed at him, hiding the butterflies in her stomach at the sound of him speaking Italian to her. Maybe he was reverting back to Italian because he was almost home and it's what felt most natural to him. She had to admit, if only to herself, that she liked the way it sounded.

"Is that to protect the coven from exposure as well? You don't hunt where you live in case the villagers find out?"

Aro was impressed by her perceptiveness. She was indeed extremely intelligent as well as beautiful. A dazzling package to behold.

"Again you are correct mio caro. Hunting where we live would be too risky and would draw unwanted attention to us. Long ago the people of Volterra believed that vampires were living amongst them until Saint Marcus killed and purged the city of them. He is still to this day hailed as a hero." He smirked, something that was boyishly charming to slightly concerting and chilling to behold. "Little do they know however."

She caught Demetri and Felix sniggering as well, and so frowned trying to understand why his words were so funny. She replayed what he had said in her mind, then gasped out loud when understanding hit.

"Saint Marcus as in your brother Marcus and one of the other leaders." It was less a question and more a statement. But by the look of giddy pleasure on Aro's face, she knew she had guessed the correct answer.

"Again well done mio ragazza intelligente. You astound me with your assumptions." His eyes were wide and sparkled with joy as he gazed almost in awe at her. For one so young her mind was so quick and sharp. Her logic was flawless and she had a maturity that he had not seen, in such a long time. "He is respected in the human world as the holy priest who helped drive the vampires away. But we believe that legend was started because we do not permit hunting within the walls of Volterra. So you see the rule and legend work harmoniously together." He touched his fingers together, as if in prayer to prove his point.

Hermione frowned at his words then asked,

"So if you don't permit hunting in Volterra then how do you feed? By the colour of your eyes you feed from human blood, not animal blood like the Cullen's." The thought of them feeding from humans did not repulse her like it should have done. After all they had to eat and were the equivalent to carnivores. In the human world she had eaten meat to survive, in her eyes it was all the same. Even though she wasn't repulsed by it, it didn't mean she suddenly wanted to feed from humans. Not after everything she had went through in the Wizarding World as a muggleborn witch.

Aro smirked again but this time the look sent shivers down her spine for an entirely different reason than before. There was no hint of the boyish charm he had displayed earlier, that was gone and was replaced by the smirk of a confident predator. Seeing that look upon Aro's handsome face reminded her of who she was dealing with. This was no normal man or vampire. This was the leader of the vampires. He didn't just become leader for the sake of it, there was something in him that propelled him to rule. Seeing that look was just a reminder of the fearsome predator that he was. At the moment she shrank back from him and hoped he didn't notice, but he was too excited and thrilled by her question to see.

"Mio carissima Hermione, as much as I do enjoy answering your questions and seeing that brilliant mind of yours working. I have to refrain from answering any more for now. When we arrive at Volterra everything you wish to know will be explained and in details by my brothers and I." He smiled again, this time it was that charming boyish smile that seemed to lure you into a false sense of security. "But all I will say on the matter is that the way we feed is a treat indeed." There was a curious glint sparkling in his red eyes, a glint that made Hermione feel unsettled like he was deliberately hiding something from her. Or was being misleading in a way. And judging by the sniggers and laughter coming from Felix and Demetri it sounded as though they knew the secret and were a part of it.

Hermione's hackles were instantly raised, and she got the feeling that whatever it was that they were hiding from her, she probably wouldn't like.

"Now when I first saw you at the Ministry that very fortunate day, I couldn't help but notice that your eyes were a startling gold colour. I take it that was Carlisle's doing? His family are known for their rather unnatural ways." He grimaced at the thought of drinking animal blood. That was one of the reasons why Carlisle had left the Volturi all those years ago. He had tried and failed to convince them that drinking animal blood was the way to go. But the Volturi did not share those beliefs and wouldn't accept this alternative. For them human blood was far more potent and sustaining. Also if they were honest they would admit to enjoying the thrill of the hunt too much as well. Vampires were not meant to be 'vegetarians' and drink that which was weaker, for compared to human blood that's all it was. A weak, poor substitute.

"You are correct; I do drink animal blood but that had nothing to do with Carlisle's influence. I had my own reasons." She said turning her gaze away from Aro's intense look. What was more unnerving to her was the way his eyebrow rose. It was so reminiscent of Severus that she couldn't stand to see that look on him. The man who was not the one she ached for.

"Oh and what pray tell were your reasons then." Aro's voice was soft and soothing, again luring Hermione into a false sense of security. She did not trust any of them, with the exception of the Cullen's, as of yet for she didn't know them well. But the small things Aro did seemed to unnerve her. It was like her body was poised to strike and defend herself at any moment. Around him, she felt like she couldn't let her defences down and was kept on high alert.

"As you know because of my blood status as muggleborn witch, I became a target for the Dark Lord and his followers. If they had the chance they would have killed me." She laughed sardonically as she remembered the battle at the Ministry. "In fact they almost succeeded the night that Sanguini turned me." Her voice became solemn as she thought of the way the Volturi had killed him, right there in front of her. The anger that coursed through her body at the memory shocked the three other vampires who all seemed to feel the magical charge radiate from every part of her body.

Aro was of course pleased and excited by the young woman. But at the same time was nervous of her powers in such a small space as the car. Trying to avert her attention he lay his hand over hers and squeezed slightly. Her skin was so soft and he could feel the flames course through his veins at such a small simple touch.

"Tell us what happened that night." Unable to stand the sensation he quickly removed his hand from hers and smiled politely.

Hermione too had felt the scorching heat throughout her body. And when he pulled away she was relieved at the respite and flexed her hand, half expecting to see a burn mark from where their skin had met. She really needed to get a grip of herself but couldn't shake Alice and Carlisle's words from her mind. Clasping her hands together, she lay them on her lap and hoped that there wouldn't be any more touches from Aro. She really didn't think she could handle more just now. His change of subject was a good thing, and both she and Aro were glad of the change of direction, for different reasons though.

"It is a long story but my friend Harry was given false information and so a group of us were lured into a trap. We were set upon by Death Eaters who attacked us. We were fighting on our own until the Order of the Phoenix arrived. They were the good side by the way. Anyway, I had been fighting one Death Eater called Dolohov and it was only thanks to the fact he had been jinxed into silence that saved my life. He cast a nonverbal spell at me, which weakened it. It badly injured me though as it hit me here." Aro's eyes followed her hand to her chest, just above her odd sounding heart. "I believe he would have succeeded in killing me if it hadn't been a nonverbal spell. These Death Eaters were more powerful and experienced than any of my group were, and yet they still could not kill a group of teenagers." She laughed. "I was unconscious and in pain when Sanguini came and turned me." She smiled almost wistfully.

"How did you feel when you first found out? When you woke up as the immortal that you are?" Aro asked, his own curiosity suddenly peaked. He found himself even more intrigued by her now and was glad of the sudden change in topic. He could use this to his advantage and get to know her better without anyone knowing of his eagerness. She was fascinating to him.

"Honestly when I woke up I knew deep down I wasn't that girl anymore. I remember going through my change, feeling the burning fire ravish my body. But apparently I lay silent on the bed as if I was merely asleep. I remember hearing my heart beating rapidly and thinking I'm going to die. I could hear the crescendo and thought my heart was going to explode, then it began to get slower and slower until it stopped. I felt at peace with myself then and thought I must be dead." She laughed again at how foolish she sounded. "I was dead of course but at the time I began to question why I was still having thoughts, why I could smell and hear things better. Then I heard Dumbledore's heartbeat and got up. I wasn't angry at Sanguini, not then anyway. I sort of felt numb by everything, but seeing the red eyes was a shock at the time. I was quick to accept this new me. The only thing that confused me was the question of who I was. Was I Hermione Granger the brightest witch of her time, or was I simply a vampire? Was it possible for me to be both? I've always been one for questions. I do apologise." She laughed.

Aro smiled and tilted his head to look at her, this beautiful enigma.

"Questions are good. If you don't ask you will never learn, and if you don't learn then you will never grow as a person."

She sighed and looked down at her clasped hands.

"Severus used to be my Professor and he hated the fact I always asked questions. In fact he used to ignore my questions and my answers while in class." It was so strange to think that not long ago she was comparing both Severus and Aro to each other, and now here she was noticing the differences between the two men. She had to remember that they weren't the same. They were totally different.

Aro tried to grit his teeth as she mentioned the dark wizard again. Her constantly thinking of her lost love would not do. And the more she did mention him, the angrier and more jealous he became and it frustrated him to no end because he had no right to feel that way.

"Well I am not _him_." He said the last word a little too harshly, drawing curious glances from all three of the other passengers.

Straightening her shoulders more she looked into Aro's eyes and boldly said,

"I _know_ you aren't Severus. The pair of you are completely different." Despite the clipped tone of her voice, Aro got the meaning behind her words and again had to stop himself from gritting his teeth at her.

After that remark there was a rather long lull in the conversation, as all four vampires felt the awkwardness after Hermione's words. She didn't mean for them to sound so bitter towards Aro, as it wasn't his fault that she kept likening him and Severus in her mind.

As she gazed out of the window she tilted her head up to look at the moon. It was bright and not quite full tonight. It wouldn't be full for another week at least. She wondered how Remus was doing and hoped that he was well. She still felt so ashamed with herself that she hadn't told him of her plan to leave beforehand and hoped that he would forgive her for this lapse. If Dante her raven was awaiting her in Volterra, Remus would be the first person she would write too. She would make sure of that.

The silence that descended in the car was finally broken by Aro, who had calmed down and was now smiling out into the night.

"Hermione look out of the window and in the distance you will see your new home." His eyes were shining brightly with happiness at the thought of being home once more. Despite the fact he was a predator he liked the safe sanctuary the walls of Volterra provided. And he hoped that one day Hermione would come to feel the same way as he did.

She sat listening to Aro's words and despite the excitement and the fear that she felt at entering this new world, she couldn't tear her eyes away from him. His features seemed to change at once, softening as the wide smile spread across his face. As his eyes lit up with what she could only describe as pride and warmth. From the way he looked it was clear to see that home was where his heart lay and somewhere in the back of Hermione's mind, she wished that he could look at her in that way.

Shaking the sudden thought from her head, she mentally chastised herself for being ridiculous. Of course she didn't want him to look at her that way, she was just feeling like that because she was missing Severus. That's all.

So finally tearing her gaze away from Aro's excited face, she leaned forward, not realising her hair brushed Aro's hand and gazed in the direction he was looking. Despite the fact it was almost pitch black outside, her eyesight was sharp and the sight that greeted her would have caught her breath under different circumstances.

From what she could see Volterra sat proudly on top of a hill, the lights surrounding it illuminated and cast shadows off the buildings making the atmosphere seem almost magical in a way. Hogwarts was beautiful in the night but Volterra, it looked like something else entirely.

"Magnifico wouldn't you say." Aro said softly, his gaze lingering on her face, which was only mere inches away from him. Her soft hair still gently caressed the skin of his hand. Oh how he wanted to run his hands through her hair at that moment and see if it was as soft and silky as he believed it to be.

She was a temptress teasing him with her feminine wiles, without even realising the affect she was having on him. Despite the information he had found out about her and the dark wizard, how he loathed the man without even truly knowing him, she still had this air of perfect innocence about her. He could tell that she was not aware of her beauty, she was humble and beautiful all at the same time, unlike Chelsea and Heidi who used their beauty to influence others thoughts and feelings. Of course that was part of their gifts but still, they knew of the power their beauty wielded and flaunted it provocatively. Hermione was different and refreshing. Also the fact that she had not yet killed a human to feed from made her seem so innocent and naïve as well. As vampires go she seemed so pure and untainted. Would that naivety change once she was living in Volterra he wondered? Probably, because there was no way he or his brothers would allow her to drink animal blood. That was not their way of life here and if she was to live amongst them, she would have to adopt their way. Otherwise _there would_ be consequences.

"Yes it's beautiful and not really what I had imagined Volterra to be like, when I read the books about it." She said honestly sitting back on her seat. She really wished that she could explore and learn about the place she was to call home. Perhaps Aro would let her if it was during the night. "Do you ever leave your home to explore the town?" She asked almost shyly. Hoping that the answer to her question would be yes.

Aro tilted his head to look at Hermione and laughed, not at her but at her curiosity and eagerness.

"How marvellous your questions are mio caro? When we first moved to Volterra my brothers and I explored every part of the town under the cover of darkness. We know every street, every building, every entrance way, and every place to avoid now. So we have no reasons to leave our home. Everything we could possibly need is brought to us." Again there were sniggers from Demetri and Felix but Aro gave no heed to them as he continued on. "The lower members of the Volturi guard venture out occasionally and I'm sure if you were to ask perhaps someone would escort you." He flicked his gaze over to the two vampires then back to Hermione.

Her eyes went wide with excitement at the prospect.

"I would love that." She whispered. "I briefly read up about Volterra while I was still able to and I would love to go and see the Porta all'Arco. From what I read it is the most famous architectural monument from Etruscan Volterra. Also I would be very interested in going to the Balze Cliffs and seeing the views there, apparently they are spectacular."

Demetri laughed and leaned towards her.

"Hermione you do realise that you're not a tourist here. This is going to be your home so you have plenty of time to wander about I'm sure." He smiled, almost looking charming.

"Yes I agree with Demetri." Aro said his voice clipped sounding as he regarded Demetri. "As much as your enthusiasm astounds and pleases me Hermione you still need to remember that you are a vampire and need to remain cautious."

The truth was that he was actually both impressed and excited to see such eagerness in her. Though nothing really about her now came as much of a surprise. She really surpassed all his expectations and it left him feeling smug. What was the Wizarding World's loss, was truly the Volturi's gain.

"Of course I will." She said with a slight determined tilt of her head. "Where is your home situated in Volterra? I mean it can't be easy for a coven of vampires to hide amongst the ancient town. So how are you able to stay out of sight, but still remain out in view?"

Aro grinned at her, a look reminiscent to a Cheshire cat kind of smile. He had used it earlier when Hermione left with him in front of her dark wizard and he was using it again now.

"That is simple Hermione. The entrance to our home is in the building of the Palazzo dei Priori, the town hall which features the clock tower. It is a prominent feature where we live, one out in full view as you so put it." He smiled again. "Little do the humans know however that underneath is the home of a coven of vampires? We roam the Palazzo dei Priori and even offer visitor tours." He smirked knowingly, quirking his eyebrow up. Once again ignoring the sniggers that came from the other two vampires in the car.

Something was definitely going on and even though Hermione didn't know what that was yet, she felt both curious and excited.

The car began to climb up the hill going through narrow winding roads and streets. As they passed by buildings Hermione gazed out and admired the landscape, trying to take her mind off of what was no doubt going to be an awkward meeting.

The driver seemed to know his way about the roads as he weaved in and out through the narrow uphill streets. If Hermione had been a normal human she probably would have been sick by now as she often suffered from travel sickness. Luckily for her and the other passengers she wasn't a normal human anymore.

She watched as the looming silhouette of the Palazzo dei Priori came into view, recognising the shape of the building from the pictures she had seen. It was both wonderful and fascinating that the Volturi's home was deep in the heart of Volterra, in such an ancient building as that. How no-one recognised a coven of vampires was beyond her though. Surely one sight of the pale skinned, red eyed perfect beings would be recognisable to anyone. But obviously not.

"There is a secret passageway for vehicles to go. We do not want to draw attention to people constantly going in and out of such a well visited building at such late hours." Aro cut in just as the car travelled behind the building, going down a ramp into what would be a hidden underground car park.

As soon as the car came to a sudden stop, Demetri and Felix were out so quickly making sure no-one had seen them enter, before closing the thick heavy wooden doors behind them. Once shut Demetri came to Hermione's side of the car while Felix went to Aro's and almost simultaneously opened the doors for them.

Aro stepped out of the car looking around to make sure none of the other guard members had come to greet them, as Felix secured his black and red cloak on once more. He had specifically given them orders to stay away while Hermione arrived so that she could settle in and come meet his brother first, out of respect for the other two co-leaders. After that, he would call for the Volturi guard to gather so that Hermione could meet them all at once. It would be intimidating for her at first seeing so many new faces, but he believed it would be far more intimidating for the guard instead. After all they had seen what she was capable of.

Hermione watched as the door to the driver's side opened and instead of a man dressed as a chauffeur stepping out, a beautiful, short woman, with long flowing brown hair stepped out. She was stunning with an hourglass figure, wearing a tight fitting blue dress.

Aro stepped over to the smiling woman and kissed both her cheeks in an obvious display of friendliness, causing Hermione to feel a frizzle of jealousy.

"Mio caro thank you for coming to escort us home. I do hope you are well?" He enquired smiling broadly at her.

"I am indeed Master it is good to have you all home. And our visitor as well." She smiled looking over Aro's shoulder to Hermione. The curiosity shone brightly in her eyes as she showed no outward signs of malice or fear towards the younger woman. "May I?" She enquired sweetly.

"Of course." Aro said, his smile growing wider as the woman moved away from him towards Hermione. She looked appraisingly at her before kissing each of Hermione's cheeks in a warm greeting.

"Welcome to Volterra signora my name is Chelsea and I will be your escort and will help you to settle in. I am so pleased that you are here." Her smile was warm and looked genuine.

"Thank you Chelsea, my name is Hermione. I'm sorry to say I didn't realise you were driving."

Chelsea laughed and quirked her eyebrow.

"What, you mean a woman?"

At her words Hermione simply smiled sheepishly and nodded causing Chelsea to laugh.

"Believe me when I say that compared to others around here-" She turned a pointed stare towards Demetri and Felix who simply grinned back at her. "I am the safest driver. Come, let me show you to your room?"

Hermione looked at the three vampires but before she could follow the other woman Aro said,

"Chelsea mio caro I will be with my brothers. Once our guest has settled please bring her to our private quarters. And please do make her feel welcome." He smirked that knowing smirk of his again.

"I always do Master." She replied smoothly, her voice sounding like honey.

"Excellent. Shall we then gentleman." Aro said clapping his hands before disappearing away using his vampire speed, as Felix and Demetri gazed at Hermione once more, before following not far behind.

Chelsea linked arms with Hermione, as if they had known each other for years and were the greatest of friends, instead of simply being mere acquaintances if that.

"Where is all of your luggage? I was surprised when neither Felix nor Demetri put anything in the boot." She frowned at the thought. She believed in the world of material things, expensive outfits, shoes and jewellery and believed it was every woman's right to possess such nice things. By the looks of her, Hermione did not share that view otherwise she would have had luggage with her.

Hermione smiled giving Chelsea her own knowing look and holding up her little black beaded bag swinging it gently. She laughed at the look of confusion on the other woman's perfect face.

"Everything that I own is in here?" She said proudly.

Chelsea let out an unladylike snort and looked disapprovingly at the small beaded bag.

"In that tiny little thing I feel sorry for you then."

Hermione laughed and shook her head.

"No you don't understand, I am a witch remember so this bag is charmed."

Chelsea once again quirked an eyebrow and looked at Hermione disbelievingly.

"Sorry but I don't understand what you mean."

Hermione sighed and smiled, enjoying the fact that there were things these powerful vampires didn't know about, and that there were things that they couldn't do but she could. It made her feel more empowered.

"When I unpack it, I promise to explain things fully."

Chelsea grinned and squeezed Hermione's arm tighter.

"Come on then let's go so you can show me."

Hermione barely had time to look around her as Chelsea dragged her away to what would be her new quarters. If she did get the chance to, then either woman may have spotted the solitary figure lurking within the shadows, a jealous scowl etched on their beautiful pale face. Some vampires may have been happy at the new arrival, but this one sure wasn't.

 **Translations from English into Italian, if they are wrong I apologise as I used google translate lol.**

 *** Mio caro- my dear**

 *** Mio ragazza intelligente- my clever girl**

 ***** **Mio carissima- my dearest**

 *** Magnifico- magnificen**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

After leaving Hermione in the capable hands of Chelsea, who would weave her own form of magic and help settle their guest in, hopefully making her feel welcome and at home. Aro broke away from Demetri and Felix and headed to the private quarters that were used for meetings with his brothers, to discuss important information and private matters, away from the other members. The rest of the Volturi guard were not permitted in these private quarters unless they were specifically asked to by one of the three leaders. And no doubt Marcus and Caius would be there waiting for him now to find out what was happening with their guest.

Aro threw open the heavy wooden double doors of their private quarters that lead into a large spacious office area, which was surrounded in old leather bound books, desks, and files containing information on every member of the Volturi guard and possible future members. Including details of some of the Cullen clan, who Aro hoped would one day join them. This was very much a masculine room with rich dark brown leather and wood furnishings and beautiful original stone walls. To brighten up the room soft creams were blended in, making the room look both elegant and lavish. Original art works adorned the walls and various sculptures featured around the room, making the office feel more comfortable and homely feeling, yet at the same time making it still feel intimidating. This room was obviously of great importance to the three Volturi leaders and the décor reflected that.

The moment Aro saw his brothers he grinned winningly at the two men who had been sitting having a quiet discussion. No doubt about their guest's arrival in Volterra.

"Ahh brother I see you have finally returned to us at last. I take it all is well." Caius asked, barely looking up at Aro from where he sat on the plush sofa.

Aro grinned again and sighed contentedly, shutting the door behind him before clasping his hands together in glee.

"Everything has gone as expected brother. I am a very happy vampire indeed." He smiled smugly moving to sit down next to his two brothers.

"And the girl?" Marcus asked his voice and demeanour looking bored and tired.

Aro sat back against the sofa and crossed one leg over the other elegantly.

"She is here now as she promised. Chelsea is currently welcoming her as we speak." He grinned again, a knowing look on his pale handsome face.

Chelsea was one of the most important members of the Volturi guard and with that status, Aro granted her, her every wish and desire including having her mate Afton, a low level vampire as a member of the guard. It wasn't because she held the power to harm and win battles like Jane and Alec, but because she had the power to manipulate people's relationships and create bonds with others.

Unlike Marcus, who could sense bonds between people, Chelsea had the power to destroy certain bonds and influence newer bonds. She kept the members of the guard loyal to the Volturi, keeping peace and harmony amongst the coven. With Hermione in her care, Aro hoped that Chelsea would bind her to the Volturi and eventually to him, if his assumptions were true. Once Chelsea had Hermione in her grip she would no longer think of the dark wizard back in her old world, or the people she left behind. The Volturi would be her family now.

"You think after what we saw that day the girl will simply bend to Chelsea's will?" Marcus asked dubiously.

Aro's grin faltered at Marcus's words, not because what he said was wrong but because he was correct and that's what worried him. Should she break through Chelsea's power then that could cause him problems.

"I don't see why it wouldn't work brother. When Jane used her power on the girl it affected her then."

"Yes but she was soon able to resist her power and repel it back to Jane. We do not know how she is going to react to those of us who wields a power."

Aro's smile reappeared, as he laid his clasped hands on his lap.

"Ahh brother remember that is the reason why she is here, so that we can gauge her power and see just exactly what she is capable of."

Caius shook his head and looked at Aro seriously. He never once hid the fact that he didn't believe the girl should be at Volterra, in their home. They knew nothing of her or her powers, and so therefore could be dangerous. He couldn't understand why Aro, who believed everyone should follow the laws of their world without question and was strict on this, would break them himself, for this one girl. To him it made no sense.

Aro's vibrant red eyes locked onto his brother, as a frown crossed over his handsome features.

"You doubt me brother." He asked smoothly, not showing the irritation that he felt at having this same argument again with his brother.

"Doubt you brother never." Caius said truthfully. "Doubt her then yes. She is not from our world. She comes from the magical world which is completely different. She does not know our ways and so may have problems conforming to them, for conform she must. How can we expect her just to leave the world which she has lived in to come here?"

Aro chuckled lightly, his eyes never leaving his brothers.

"Careful Caius you almost sound like you like the girl." Although the manner in which he spoke was cheerful, the jealousy that coursed through him at his own words left him feeling bitter, bitter that his brother had taken a curious interest in her also.

"I hardly know the girl Aro, but at the same time I do not trust her and believe she could be dangerous to all of us. I feel like she could expose our world and I don't like her being here. On top of that if she is to be one of us, then she has already broken one of our laws by consorting with a child of the moon." He had a look of disgust as he said that. Caius did not hide the fact that he loathed werewolves and those who befriended them. Not after he was attacked and almost killed by one. Since that day there was a known law in the vampire world that those who consorted with werewolves, there natural enemy, would be punished for this treachery by death. "Do we simply leave her unpunished or do we make an example of her. If the guards see her getting away with it, then who's to say they won't try and break our laws also, thinking they too can get away with it. It is a thin line Aro."

Aro didn't like the way his brother was thinking. Out of the three of them Caius was the one with the higher level of bloodlust. He was the one who enjoyed seeing others punished the most, he was the one who believed in War first think later. And Aro knew that if Caius had his way now, Hermione would be tried and killed for her association with a known werewolf. He did not bring her here to simple kill her for things she had done in the magical world. She didn't know any better and was not aware of the Volturi law at that point. Before he could answer however, Marcus was quick to cut in.

"Caius you are being unreasonable. The girl lived in the magical world, which has completely different laws and views to what we do. She was simply following those laws so cannot be punished by us for that. Now that she is here in Volterra I do agree that she should be taught all about our world and our ways. After all she is a vampire as well and while she is here should be treated as a vampire." Marcus turned weary eyes on Aro and asked, "What do you think Aro? After all she is your new pet project."

Aro did not like the way his brother referred to her as his pet project, she was so much more than that. But he could not tell that to them, not yet anyway. At the same time he would not argue with him about it, since Marcus had just agreed with him and not Caius. He was thankful for Marcus's voice of reason and was glad that he would not have to speak up regarding his true reasons for bringing Hermione here, and betray his own thoughts and feelings on the matter. He couldn't tell them until his suspicious about her being his mate were confirmed or not. The only way for him to know that, was to get to know her better and spend time with her.

"I agree with you brother." He said looking at Marcus. "We cannot hold her past misdeeds against her. Her creator did not follow the law and teach her about our ways and he was punished accordingly. Like Marcus said, she lived in the magical world which is different but now that we have her here, we can teach her, groom her and make her a part of the guard. Imagine what having her powers will do for us."

Caius sighed and stood up so that he could pace back and forth in front of his brothers. Feeling all the more agitated by his brother. Aro was a good leader, there was no denying that fact, but sometimes his judgement was clouded by greed and selfishness when it came to the likes of power. He had seen it all before many times. Turning Jane and Alec when they were only twelve, almost breaking his own law at making immortal children. He had seen the gifts they had and believed they would make a great addition. He had tried to let them grow up as much as possible but when he had heard about their intended execution, he had rushed to save them and turned them. Aro had undoubtedly been right about their gifts and they had quickly become integral to them over the years. Helping them win Wars against the Romanians and the Egyptians giving them rule over all vampires, making them unstoppable. But still that was different.

Hermione was not just a vampire but a witch and her magic was different to the gifts vampires had. Some but not all, if they were lucky, had one special gift making them even more powerful than the average vampire. If every vampire had a special gift then even more trouble and possible Wars would erupt unsettling there world. That was why Aro coveted people with gifts so much. To build a stronger more talented army.

But Hermione's magic was unlike anything they had ever seen before. She could cast different spells, use other people's gifts against them, she had more than one power herself, for he had seen her use some of them with his own eyes. Who knew what else she could do. She could control them, having had so many years' experience as a talented witch. But that wasn't why he was so concerned. In fact he was impressed by just how much control she did seem to have over such powerful magic. No, the problem he had with her was; would they be able to control her? She was dangerous and if she turned against them, she could easily annihilate them. He wanted to trust Aro's judgement again, but feared what the consequences would be if he was wrong.

"Aro you are blinded by her strength and power. What if we cannot control her and she turns against us? What then for we cannot defeat her?"

Aro sighed and began to tap his fingers against his thigh, feeling like he was losing this battle against his brother.

"I am sorry that you doubt me brother. Regardless of what you said before." Aro put his hand up to stop Caius from speaking before continuing on. "But think of it this way. If we left her in the magical world she could have been fine and happy living amongst them. But news about the vampire witch and her gifts would have spread into our world. If we left her then who's to say others like the Romanians wouldn't have coveted her. Who's to say she wouldn't have joined them? Imagine the devastation that could have caused us." Aro stood up and placed his hand onto his brother's shoulder. "She did not join them however; she came to us. Think of what we could do with her here? Think of how much stronger she will make us. With Chelsea's help she will bind Hermione to us and we will have her where we want her, a loyal follower in the guard." Aro grinned and stepped away from Caius, letting him absorb his words.

Caius simply sighed and nodded his head in agreement.

"And if Chelsea can't bind her to us, what then brother?"

Aro looked at Caius solemnly, until Marcus stood to join them.

"Then we build her trust in us and convince her that she is better off here with us. If we can't, then I fear what the alternative will be." Marcus said. "Now I believe Hermione will probably have settled into her new quarters by now, why don't you go and bring her here." Marcus said his tired gaze falling on Caius.

"Very well then." He huffed before turning on his heels, heading out of the door. Leaving Marcus and Aro alone.

Aro went to take a seat but before he could, the normal timid and bored Marcus grabbed him roughly by the arm.

"I hope you know what you are doing brother for all our sakes." He whispered.

Aro looked at Marcus, a faint smile creeping up onto his thin lips.

"I do brother, so do not fear otherwise. I am confident about having Hermione here."

"I know what you see Aro, but the possible mating bond between you and Hermione has not yet been forged, but it could. I can see the possibility of you both coming together. You cannot manipulate her feelings in this matter. She is too strong for that and her feelings are currently bonded elsewhere, which of course you know."

"If there is a possibility then that gives me hope." Aro smiled at his brother's words.

Marcus sighed half-heartedly then said,

"With possibilities there is always hope. But I must warn you Aro go about Hermione in the wrong way and you will fail. You must never forget the fact that she is a witch. She has a special and unique bond with that dark wizard. I saw the strength of it that day and it is powerful, it not will not be easy to break."

"Then how can I strengthen the bond between me and her then?" Aro asked with some trepidation in his voice, not liking what his brother just said.

"As I mentioned before, do not forget her magical roots and do not try and manipulate her. You must let her realise her feelings on her own. Invite her into our world, teach her our ways but do not push the mating bond. Let her feel it and let it grow and manifest itself. It is the only way."

"And if I don't follow this path?" Aro asked. He was naturally not a patient man and hoped that he would not need to wait too long for Hermione. If she was his mate, which he now believed her to be, then he wanted nothing more than to claim her sooner rather than later. Which is why he needed Chelsea's assistance in the matter.

"Then you will lose her completely. The choice is yours brother, so choose well." With that Marcus sat back down on the plush leather sofa, picking up a book he had been studying earlier on. Leaving Aro to contemplate all that was said.

* * *

Chelsea had escorted Hermione down a stone staircase into a long corridor with several doorways. Every time she passed a set of doors she would explain who's quarters they were and if they lived alone or with a mate.

"You should feel privileged as Master Aro requested you move next door to him. I think it's so he can keep an eye on his new prize." Chelsea said with a small chuckle, knowing the way in which her Master worked.

Curious Hermione asked,

"Master Aro lives here with his wife as well?"

Chelsea giggled again, her perfect long brown hair flowing in time with the movement.

"No, the Master's wives all live up in the tower with a guard member called Corin."

Hermione thought it strange that everyone except the leaders all lived with their mates. While they lived alone and there mates high up in a tower. Hermione being Hermione let the curiosity get to her as she asked,

"Why do they live up in a tower? Why not down here with their mates?"

Chelsea flicked her gaze down at the newcomer and smiled sadly.

"They used to, all three of them I mean. Until oneday Master Marcus's mate Didyme was killed." She sighed sadly before continuing. "Master Marcus was beyond devastated at the loss of his beloved mate and for a while we actually thought he would become so lost in despair that we might lose him too. So because of that Master's Aro and Caius wanted to make sure their mates were safe. So they got put in the high tower. We never get to see them as they are usually locked up and secured safely. The only times they do emerge from the tower is during court, when they must be present by their husbands side and during erm….private times. You know when they want to have a little fun." She said with a small giggle.

Hermione felt a slight twinge of something in the pit of her stomach at the last part. It was horrible knowing that Aro would be in the room next door to her, making love to his mate. It left her feeling dirty and slightly nauseous. She was unsure why this piece of information should surprise her or have such an effect on her, after all she did know that he was married. But the fact she felt something towards him didn't help her feel any less confused about matters.

Wanting to quickly change the subject Hermione asked,

"Did they ever find out who killed Didyme?"

Chelsea shook her head in the negative.

"Sadly they never did."

"Aren't the two wives unhappy living in the tower all the time?" Hermione asked, again feeling her curiosity peak. She knew that if she, for some reason, had to live locked up in a tower, never leaving except for those two reasons. She would go stir crazy. She couldn't understand how they could possibly live like that. It sounded like her idea of hell.

"They have Corin there, so no they are both happy and content." Chelsea replied. Before Hermione had the chance to ask what she meant by that, they pulled up to a door causing Chelsea to stop abruptly with Hermione nearly crashing into the back of her. "Here we are, your quarters." She opened the door and let Hermione enter first.

The room was so much larger than Hermione had first anticipated. There were no windows in the room, as they were below ground, so there was no natural light. There were original stone walls and the room was furnished with beautiful yellow colours and pristine white, making it feel warm and refreshing. There was a plush sofa in the middle of the room and a large oak desk in the far corner. Numerous tall bookcases stood around the room, some empty and some filled with beautiful old leather bound books. She could actually smell the wonderful aroma of the old books and couldn't wait to peruse them and see what was there. There was a large double wardrobe made from oak and a large matching set of chest of drawers and a vanity table with a lovely matching chair. Since they didn't sleep there wasn't a bed, leaving the room spacious and homely. In front of the leather sofa was an old wooden coffee table with a beautiful vase filled with yellow carnations and daisies. There was a large antique looking fireplace made from white marble and above was a beautiful gold framed mirror. It was both stunning and elegant and Hermione had no problems imagining herself living here.

"This is wonderful." She whispered having to stop herself from going straight over to the books. So instead she went to the large desk and sat her beaded bag down on top.

"You said you were going to show me how you packed everything you owned in here." Chelsea said coming up beside her, with a large excited smile on her face.

She opened up the bag and pointed to it.

"Put your hand in and see what you can feel." Chelsea bit her lower lip, something that Hermione also did when she was nervous, looking at the bag warily. "I promise you it won't bite." Hermione laughed. "Here I'll show you." She put her hand in and pulled out what looked like a tiny cardboard box. Sitting it on the floor she waved her hand over it, causing the box to enlarge.

Chelsea got such a fright she jumped back, all the while never taking her eyes off the box.

"Oh my god what did you just do?" She moved around the box as if it was going to attack her at any moment before taking a wary step backwards.

"I used my magic to make the box bigger." Hermione smiled. Opening the box she found shoes and bags inside and began to empty and put them all away.

"I can't believe all of that came from your tiny little bag." Chelsea exclaimed with wonder.

"Oh don't worry there's more still to come."

"How can there possibly be more. That bag is tiny." Chelsea was still unable to comprehend what she just saw. She had never seen magic like this being used before and it was both thrilling and terrifying to behold.

Once the full box was empty Hermione went back to the small beaded bag and put her whole arm, up to her elbow in it. She began to pull out other small boxes as well as her own vast collection of books, of which she had many.

"Wow that is so cool. Oh I forgot to say the door on the left is the washroom and the door on the right leads to Master Aro's quarters. Although I wouldn't try opening it as it's locked."

Hermione almost dropped the small stack of books she had just picked up at that piece of information. Why on earth would Aro give her the room directly next to his? And more importantly why on earth would he give her the room that had an adjourning door. It didn't make sense to her, but at the same time filled her with a confusing sense of excitement.

Shaking herself from her thoughts she continued to unpack all of her belongings, enlarging the boxes that needed to be enlarged. Putting away all of her books and carefully hanging up all her pieces of clothing. She could have used magic to unpack everything quicker but felt that would simply overwhelm Chelsea too much, if her previous reaction was anything to go by.

Once the bulk of her things were put away in all there right places, she then unpacked all of her personal items. A muggle picture of her as a little girl with her parents eating ice cream. A Wizarding picture of her, Ron and Harry in 1st year. A picture of her with Remus and Dumbledore and finally a picture of Severus, one of him standing in front of his class teaching potions. Dumbledore had given it too her when she told him about her having to leave. It was by far her most prized possession.

Lost in her thoughts while looking down at the picture, her heart clenching at the sight of the man she loved, a piercing scream suddenly tore through her thoughts. Hermione instantly spun around to face Chelsea, cursing herself when she went to pull out her wand and found that it wasn't there.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, the concern clearly etched on her face.

Chelsea pointed to the pictures with one hand, while she covered her gaping mouth with the other.

"The pictures, they move." She almost shrieked.

Hermione looked to where Chelsea was pointing too and relaxed immediately, as she laughed wholeheartedly.

"Is that all? I thought you were being attacked there." She was almost bent over with laughter now, as Chelsea stood straighter, her body rigid and a frown spreading across her beautiful red lips.

"Excuse me for being so concerned at seeing something so unfamiliar." She huffed out.

Hermione was able to stop the bouts of laughter, as she gazed at the put out vampire by her side. Getting on the Volturi's bad side on her very first day wouldn't be the best idea. She mused.

"Oh I'm sorry Chelsea, sometimes I forget that you aren't aware of the magical world. I apologise for being so rude."

Chelsea rolled her eyes and smiled timidly.

"Sorry for overreacting but seeing moving pictures is incredibly weird. Why do they move anyway?"

Hermione could understand that; after all she was a muggleborn witch.

"When I first became a witch and entered the magical world for the first time, I couldn't believe all the things I saw either. So I should have been more understanding there. These are standard wizard pictures, they move and show the moment just as it was captured. So in this picture-" She pointed to the one of her, Ron and Harry. "Me and the boys were waving at the camera." She smiled fondly at the memory. She could remember that day as if it was yesterday.

"So why doesn't that picture move?" Chelsea asked pointing to the one of Hermione and her parents.

Carefully picking the picture up, Hermione gently caressed the faces of her smiling parents lovingly, feeling guilty still that she had asked Severus to obliviate their memories of her.

"This is a standard muggle picture, that's why we don't move in it." Hermione said, again forgetting who exactly she was speaking too.

"What do you mean by muggle?" Chelsea asked curiously. Looking down at the pictures to see if there were any other differences between them.

"Muggle means non magical person."

"Wait I'm confused, if you're a witch how can you possibly be a 'muggle' as well? I'm sorry I don't understand." Chelsea said.

Hermione smiled sympathetically at the other woman, understanding just how confused she must feel. It was at that point she realised she wasn't the only person learning about a different world. They were as well. This thought made Hermione relax a little as she understood the trepidation that the other vampires must be feeling as well. Having someone of the unknown just suddenly entering into not only their world but in their home and their lives also.

"Don't worry it's a lot to take in. I was like that as well. I am not a muggle but my parents are. I am what you would call a muggleborn witch. I was born with magical blood, even though my parents weren't magic. I didn't know I was a witch until I was 11 years old."

Chelsea's eyes widened at that.

"So you were born with magic and didn't know. Wow that's so cool."

"Yeah it was."

Chelsea looked down at the picture of Hermione's parents. Now was a good time she thought. Using her power, she felt how strong the bonds were between Hermione and the people in the pictures. As she moved through each of the faces she tested the strength and found the picture of the man in black to be the strongest of the bonds. As she went to delve deeper into this bond, her power was instantly repelled. The knock of it hitting her, left her feeling momentarily confused and disorientated, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

"What was that?" Hermione said sounding almost breathless, unsure about what just happened herself. One minute they were standing talking, the next thing she knew, it felt like magic was fluttering across her skin and burying into her body. She could feel the emotional ties to everyone in the pictures, the bonds she shared with each of them, as the focus zoomed in on her and Severus. The deepest bond of them all. She could feel the bond being explored further and knew that it must be Chelsea's doing, although Hermione wasn't sure how she could possibly do that. So without thinking she raised her own protective shield and repelled whatever power Chelsea may have.

"I don't know what you're talking about?" Chelsea stuttered backing away from a magical charged Hermione.

"To hell you don't." Hermione replied as she glared at the other woman. She thought that she was beginning to make a friend. She thought someone was genuinely interested in her. But instead she realised that she was sent here to gain information on her.

"It's been a long day Hermione. Why don't you go and freshen up? I will leave you for a while then come back and get you."

Hermione could perform legilimency on the other woman, it would be so easy since Chelsea wouldn't know what it would feel like to have her mind invaded. But she refrained. For now. Instead she stepped away and forced herself to calm down. Getting angry and making a spectacle of herself wouldn't help matters. She also needed to stay calm if she wanted to know what the hell that was.

Carlisle had told her all about the Volturi and their collective powers when he was preparing her for battle, but after everything she had been through since then, she couldn't for the life of her remember what Chelsea's was.

Relaxing her shoulders, she nodded her head in agreement. Noting how that single action caused Chelsea to calm. A small smile forming on her lips.

"Good that's settled then I will come back for you in ten minutes." She walked over to the door quickly, as if she couldn't wait to get out of the room fast enough, but stopped to turn back and look at Hermione. "Please don't go wandering off yet. After you've met everyone I was told to give you the guided tour. We don't want you getting lost in here, it's much bigger than you think." With those words and a weak smile Chelsea left the room, bumping into Caius out in the hall.

"Is our guest ready yet?" He asked, sounding not too pleased about being the errand boy.

Chelsea pulled Caius away from the door and moved to whisper into his ear.

"I need to report to Master Aro _now_." She simply said.

"What on earth happened in there?" Caius asked, not caring that his voice sounded louder in the echoing hallway.

"Shh not here." She whispered. "She might hear you."

Caius sighed, despite the fact that he was more than interested in what had gotten Chelsea so riled up.

"Very well then, come." He barked out.

With that he marched back the way he came, up the stairs to the next level where the leader's private quarters were. All the while Chelsea's heels tapped along the stone hallway, causing him a small amount of irritation.

"Must you insist on wearing such ridiculously loud shoes?" He hissed out. Taking his annoyance and frustration out on the vampire by his side.

Chelsea huffed at him before saying,

"I'll have you know they aren't just shoes, they are Jimmy Choos."

He looked down at them and frowned, not once breaking his stride.

"And that means what exactly?" He asked.

"Nothing to you, but everything to me. One of the glorious perks of being so loyal to the Volturi." She grinned knowingly. Yes because of her power and Aro's need for it, she was kept in everything she wanted from shoes, bags, clothes and jewellery. It was a definite perk to the job.

"If you say so." Caius huffed out, knowing fully about all the perks she received because of her particular gift.

Entering the room both Aro and Marcus stood up at once, ready to greet the newcomers. Only for disappointment to flash across Aro's face when he saw Hermione was not with them.

"You come alone brother, where is our guest?" He asked with a hint of annoyance tinting his voice.

"I went along to get her, only to see Chelsea leaving her quarters. She requested to see you brother. Apparently she has something to report back to you already." The look he gave Aro was a look that said 'I told you so.' There was trouble afoot already and he didn't like it.

Aro turned his attention from Caius to Chelsea.

"What do you wish to report my dear?"

Chelsea sighed then delved in to tell them the story about what had just happened.

"When I went investigate the bond with that man, I felt like my power had been physically flung back at me. It was so strange. And she knew something had happened although I'm quite certain she didn't know what exactly." She looked at Aro, feeling ashamed at the fact her power did not work. "I don't think I'm going to be able to bind her to you. Her powers are so acute she can sense them. I just don't think they will work."

Aro felt disappointment course through him. This news was not unexpected but still, it would make things a lot harder for him in the meantime. Without Chelsea being able to manipulate her, then she had no ties to the Volturi, which meant she could leave. And he couldn't let that happen, whether she was a mate or not. Her powers were just far too great for them to ignore.

"I knew this would happen brother. We just finished discussing it." Caius snapped out.

"Quiet Caius." Aro scolded, not willing to stand there and be yelled at in front of a guard member. "We did discuss it so now we move on to the next course of action."

"Which is?" Marcus said calmly.

"We win her around without using our gifts. Chelsea go and round up the other guard members. I think it will be good to have a meet and greet of sorts." He grinned. "Maybe tomorrow we can celebrate her coming here by having a feast in her honour." He grinned menacingly.

"So soon Aro, are you sure that is wise?" Marcus asked with caution.

Aro turned to look at his brother and frowned.

"I don't see why not brother. After all isn't that what we done with every other member of the guard."

Marcus gave an exhausted sigh. There was no reasoning with Aro when he was like this. He had told him to be careful and to remember that she was a witch but of course Aro knew best, as always. Despite the fact that he knew this was a mistake, he let Aro continue on with his plans. Maybe he would eventually see the error of his way. Hopefully not before it was too late.

"One more thing Master Aro." Chelsea said before she left to go and gather the others. "She got angry and I swear I felt the whole air around her crackle, I think we should remain wary of her for now. I mean she seems nice enough but still."

Aro smiled with glee, he certainly loved that fire about Hermione. The fact that the magic and power simply radiated from her whole body. It was mesmerising.

"I know I've already been in the presence of her like that. Such a fascinating creature isn't she." Aro grinned remembering her previous outbreak. "Did you tell her where you were my dear?" He asked Chelsea.

"I told her to freshen up and I'll be back for her in ten minutes Master."

"Excellent." He smiled. "Go and gather the others, take them into the dome room then collect Hermione. After all it is rude keeping guests waiting."

With a curt nod of her head Chelsea left the room leaving the three leaders alone together again.

"Do you still think this is such a wise idea brother?" Caius asked, once again unable to mask his doubt.

"I do." Aro simply said ending the matter.

Out in the corridor all was quiet and still. At first appearance it looked empty and unoccupied but against one wall was a slight shimmer. Hermione had heard Chelsea talking to Caius outside of her room and had disillusioned herself then cast a silencing spell to stop them from hearing her heartbeat, before following them. She had heard everything that was said and felt the anger build up inside of her. From what she could gather, Chelsea's power was to feel out people's emotional bonds and manipulate them. She was going to bind her to the Volturi and make her loyal. After this little stunt Hermione was even more determined that the only person she would be loyal too was herself.

With that in mind she headed back to her room to freshen up and change her clothes. If Aro enjoyed seeing her crackle in anger so much, he would soon be delighted, she mused. Entering her quarters, she closed the door silently behind her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Chelsea walked through the corridors to collect Hermione from her quarters, feeling the apprehension build up with every step that brought her closer to the vampire witch.

After gathering the rest of the guard members as she was asked to do by Master Aro, she told them everything that had happened with Hermione, warning them all to be cautious around her. She was nice, even polite but there was just something about her, other than her powers, that unnerved Chelsea. The fact that her power was repelled also left her feeling nervous about what Hermione would do to her, if she ever knew just exactly what it was Chelsea was doing. Hermione was no fool, Chelsea could tell, but she was ignorant in knowing what each member of the guards' powers were. Or at least that's what Chelsea hoped and believed anyway.

The meeting with the Volturi leaders didn't make her feel any better. It was obvious that they all had different views on Hermione being here. Master Aro was all for it, after all Hermione was his biggest prize, everyone in the guard knew it by his childlike excitement when he spoke of her.

Master Caius was obviously against it, especially if he was willing to raise his voice in disagreement at Master Aro. Things like that never happened, not with the leaders anyway. They were a strong unit and a force to be reckoned with. Nothing ever came between their bonds. And then there was Master Marcus, he seemed indifferent towards the whole thing. As always his voice of reason simply wanted to make the best of a strange situation.

The members of the guard were also split between wanting to have her here and not. The biggest ones to oppose her were Jane and Alec; they were the youngest members of the guard and had always been Aro's pride and joy amongst the coven that was until now anyway. Now that Hermione was here change was the in the air, they could all sense it. The only thing they couldn't sense was whether this change was good or bad.

Chelsea's steps grew slower as she got closer to the door of Hermione's quarters. She needed to calm down and stop being so nervous, otherwise Hermione would know that something was wrong. She would see that Chelsea was hiding something, and making an enemy of the vampire witch would not be the brightest idea in the world. Maybe it would be better for her to build a friendship with Hermione and be on her good side. It certainly wouldn't do any harm anyway. With that in mind Chelsea stood straighter, relaxed her shoulders and walked expertly to Hermione's door.

She knocked once, hearing the sound of movement before the door was quickly answered. When her eyes locked on to Hermione, her jaw almost dropped to the floor in shock. Yes Hermione was beautiful before, but now after freshening up she looked totally different. Her long curly hair was left to flow freely down her slender back. She wore a sophisticated dress that had a black skirt and a red and black floral top half. It fitted her like a glove showing off her beautiful trim figure. The skirt reached her knees and showed off her long slender legs. On her feet were a pair of black heeled shoes. The most striking feature of all, apart from her oddly coloured eyes, were her lips. They were painted ruby red and stood out against the paleness of her skin. They looked elegant and kissable. If Chelsea wasn't so nervous of the newcomer, and if Hermione was simply just another vampire, then she had no doubts that they could have been close friends. As it was, she didn't think that would happen, not yet anyway. It was too soon for that and trust had yet to be established.

"Wow you look fantastic." She said honestly, as Hermione let her slip into the room.

She smiled politely looking down at herself before looking back at Chelsea.

"You think so. It's not too much is it?" She said with a frown.

"Are you kidding me Hermione, you look great and believe me when I say dressing up nicely is never too much. Most of the guard members wear extravagant clothes." She said with a tinkling laugh, glad that things seemed to be normal now after the earlier incident.

Hermione squirted a little perfume on her wrist before flicking her long loose curls over her shoulders.

"I'm ready now, but first I have to ask you something." She said moving closer to Chelsea, her eyes never leaving the other woman's.

Chelsea wanted to back away and run out of there as quickly as her Jimmy Choo's would allow her too, but instead she stood her ground and smiled politely. Hoping that she wasn't about to be Hermione's first target.

"Sure ask away." She said, glad that her voice remained steady and didn't betray her nerves.

Hermione stood right in front of her wearing a polite smile, her eyes delving deep into Chelsea's eyes as she performed legilimency on her. She was gentle as she entered the vampire's mind and got all the information that she needed.

"Oh I was just wondering if you thought red was a good colour on me. I've never been one for fashion and you seem to be more knowledgeable in that field than what I am." She smiled sweetly and saw Chelsea visibly relax in front of her eyes, as a grin spread across the other woman's face. It was so easy Hermione thought as she listened intently to what the other woman was saying, while at the same time she formulated a plan in her head.

"Red is amazing on you Hermione. Your hair is mahogany with lovely red highlights, and your eyes are a mixture of gold and red. That along with your pale skin is a beautiful combination." Chelsea said with giddy glee. She loved fashion with a passion and loved nothing more than sharing her expertise with others. "I'm sorry to cut things short but we really need to get going. You were supposed to meet the three leaders on their own first but they thought it best that you meet everyone at same time, so that it means you're only getting interrogated once instead of twice."

"Oh of course, I think that would be better actually. I'm a little nervous as it is." Hermione said truthfully.

"I can't believe you are nervous, if anyone should be nervous it's us." Although she said it as a joke there was truth behind her words as well. "Let's go. It wouldn't do either of us any good if we kept the leaders and the full guard waiting now. Come along." Chelsea said, walking towards the door. As she stretched her hand for the door handle, Hermione laid her own hand gently on the other woman's arm.

Chelsea turned to look at Hermione in confusion, her first reaction was to jerk her arm away from her, but somehow she managed to refrain from doing that, in case she offended the other woman.

"I just wanted to say thank you. You have been a bigger help to me than you could possibly know." Hermione said honestly. After all the information she had just gathered from Chelsea, she knew enough now about her situation than before.

Chelsea smiled sweetly, feeling relief wash over her.

"I'm glad. I know how daunting it must feel for you being here in an unfamiliar place, with people you don't know. But if it makes you feel any better, we're all in the same boat. You might be met with opposition, but don't let that get to you, it's just because you different to anything we have ever seen before." She smiled reassuringly at Hermione.

"I know and believe me when I say that I understand better than most." After all she had entered the Wizarding world knowing nothing about it to start with. Now she was entering this world, which was their domain.

"Anyway we really should get going."

Hermione nodded her head in agreement and followed the other woman, with a confidence she did not feel. She walked tall and straight, with a determined tilt to her head, as she tried to calm herself down. She was nervous, she would be a fool if she wasn't, as she had to face the full Volturi guard and their leaders. She could not show weakness in front of them, if she did they would surely use that against her.

So she had to appear strong, confident and sure of herself which was why she dressed the way she did. She had to act the part and dress the part if she wanted to convince them. She could always fall back on her other idea. Flaunt her magic and send them into a panic.

The two women walked up the stairs and through the halls in silence, both lost in their thoughts. The only noise that seemed to break the tension was the small hypnotic tapping of their heels against the cold stone floors.

Hermione's thoughts drifted back to Aro, a small fluttering sensation started in her stomach as she thought about seeing him again. She was excited about it, she actually wanted to see him again, but couldn't understand why. Her feelings regarding him, if you would call them feelings, still left her confused. The pull between them was growing stronger, now that they were in close proximity. At least for her it was. He on the other hand gave no signs to feeling anything like that towards her. Except from his words that day at the Ministry and that day on the grounds of Hogwarts, he gave no indication he felt anything at all. Maybe the feelings were simply a product of her mind and her missing Severus, she wondered.

That in itself made Hermione feel cautious. Her thoughts often travelled to Severus, she loved him she knew she did as she could feel it in her body and in her heart. They had a bond unlike anything she had ever felt before. He knew her better than anyone and understood her, just like she did him. But always at the back of her mind was the sharp reminder that they were different and that they could never be together because he was mortal and she was immortal. The only way they ever could be, was if he went through the change. But even then she knew Aro would never allow that. He wouldn't risk another magical person being turned and knew that Severus posed more a threat to Aro's leadership than what she did.

And then there were her strange feelings towards Aro. From the moment she saw him, she felt the indescribable pull towards him, the feeling to get closer to him and simply be with him. When they touched it was as if an electric current was travelling through her body, leaving her confused and wanting more. She couldn't understand the reason why she felt drawn to him the way she did. Again when she had these thoughts she always thought of Severus and Aro's wife. She couldn't let these feelings interfere with anything. They would simply cause more trouble if she explored them further.

"Here we are." Chelsea said stopping at a large pair of double doors. "Before we go in I should warn you that the full Volturi guard is in there. Do not be intimidated by them as they are probably more scared of you, than what you are of them."

Despite what happened earlier, Hermione took great comfort from Chelsea's presence and from her words. She was both glad and relieved to have someone, at least appearing to be on her side. She was grateful for this.

"Thank you so much." Hermione smiled.

With a nod of her head, Chelsea walked up to the doors and tapped on it once. Movement and voices could be heard from inside the room and a shuffling sound could be heard as Felix and Demetri got in place. They heard Aro say 'enter' before the doors were opened fully. Before Hermione could make a move, Chelsea nudged her forward and directed her head towards the hall, beckoning Hermione to go in first.

Straightening her shoulders and standing taller with that same determination as earlier Hermione stepped into the room and walked slowly down the aisle, with every vampire's gaze following her every move.

She suddenly felt like she was being escorted into court. Remembering something that Chelsea had said earlier, she realised that that's exactly what was happening. Guard members sat in chairs at either side of her, their gazes watching intently. At the front of the room were the three leaders sitting in what looked like thrones. Beside Aro and Caius, were two women, their wives Hermione realised. She did not linger on Aro's wife, not really wanting to pay much attention to the other woman. In front of the leaders and to the side was a single chair facing the room. That would be hers she mused.

Aro stood up gracefully and clasped his hands in front of him, an excited smile spreading across his pale face.

He took in every little detail of Hermione as she walked with grace and confidence. She was beautiful to behold, a Goddess to the eyes, and not just any Goddess but his. The pull they shared tugged him to her and he wanted nothing more than to give in and embrace her. He wanted to feel her skin under his hands, he wanted to take in her scent, and bury his face in those alluring curls. Most of all he wanted to mark her and proclaim to everyone that she belonged to him and no other. She was his mate. He wanted her to say those words. He needed her to say them. But now was not the time. Now he could only watch his mate from afar and play ignorant.

"Ahh welcome my dear so glad that you could finally join us." He said with some irritation. Not at her but at Chelsea for keeping them waiting.

"I do apologise, you see that was my fault. I took longer getting ready than I thought. I'm sorry for such tardiness." Hermione said, she had sensed his irritation at once and didn't want Chelsea getting in trouble for something that wasn't her fault. It was Hermione's after all.

"That's quite all right but I must ask of you not to do it again, and be respectful." He chastised her, although he admired her honesty.

"I will remember that in future." She whispered, ignoring the stares of the others in the room.

"Please take a seat." Aro said indicating the only other empty chair in the room.

"Thank you." Hermione said politely before following his order and taking her seat.

Aro looked at the guard members and smiled warmly at them all.

"Thank you all for coming at such short notice but I wanted you all to meet our new member and for you all to get to know each other. I am aware of some restlessness amongst you so I do hope this little meeting will appease your fears and worries. This is your chance to ask questions and get to know Hermione better, and in return she can get to know you all better." He smiled as his gaze turned towards her, a small sparkle lighting up his red eyes as his gaze found hers. "If that is, of course acceptable to you?" He waited patiently for Hermione to answer, and when she did she simply nodded her head in agreement. "Excellent." Aro exclaimed taking his seat next to Sulpicia. "Since it is only fair, I think my brothers should ask their questions first." He looked at each of them and waited patiently for one of them to speak, his smile fading slightly when neither one was forthcoming.

They simply looked at the girl taking in her calm demeanour and confident gaze. She sat elegantly on the chair betraying none of her emotions. She looked neither scared nor comfortable and was incredibly hard to gauge.

It was Marcus who eventually spoke up first, his calm monotone voice washing Aro with relief. Why did this have to be so difficult? Why did the coven not seem to understand the potential she could bring them? The problem was he had pampered those with powers too much, that their pride and egos stopped them from realising the truth. That Hermione would be an asset to them in future endeavours, that she wouldn't be a danger to them, if they only tried and accepted her.

"Welcome to Volterra Hermione. I must confess to being intrigued about you and looking forward to getting to know you better. I must say it has been a while since we last had a new member join us, especially one who was as fascinating as yourself." He gave a small tired smile. "I have witnessed some of your magic but what I would like to know is what part of your power is witches magic and which is vampire, if you have any?" He asked, curious and fascinated to see what her answer would be.

Hermione smiled warmly at him. He wasn't being sarcastic nor did he appear to be making fun of her, he was generally curious and appeared interested in her as a whole. Not just simply as a vampire. She both liked and respected that.

"Thank you." She said simply. Understanding the meaning behind his words, he simply nodded his head.

Aro looked between them both, not understanding what had just passed between his brother and mate. So he wasn't sure whether to be elated that they were getting on or worried that they seemed to share something secret between them. For now he would simply watch and see.

"Would it be alright if I stood? I think my answer would be more fitting if it was practical and you could see." She looked at Aro for permission knowing that he was the one who would give it to her or not.

"By all means go ahead." He said his voice sounding more excited than he planned it to.

Hermione stood up and walked towards the vampires, almost as if she was a teacher about to conduct a lesson. In this case it seemed fitting as she was about to teach them all about her magic and the difference between her and them.

"As you all know I was born a witch and have magic coursing through my veins. When I was first turned I was a mystery and no-one seemed to know whether I could do magic or not. It wasn't until my friend Remus put my wand in my hand and tested me. I was able to cast a spell but unfortunately the wand shattered in my hand. It appeared my magic had changed and I was too powerful for that wand." She instinctively flexed her hand, the gesture going noticed by many of the Volturi including Aro.

"Where is your wand now?" He asked.

Hermione looked briefly at Aro, wondering exactly how much she should tell him. Would he be angry at her for leaving such a powerful tool behind? Would he see behind the ruse, and know that she was using her wand as leverage to go home one day?

"My wand is back home in safe hands." She simply said. Apart from his shoulders tensing slightly he gave no outward sign of being angry or annoyed. "I own the second most powerful wand in existence. I am its master and it works only for me. But you see I have no need for a wand as I can perform wandless magic. Something that I wasn't able to do as a witch. Not then anyway. I probably could have as my magic grew." She was confident in her abilities and knew that her magic was strong, even as a young student.

"So your magic has changed since you were turned? How fascinating." Aro said. Inside he was seething at her words though he did not show it. He knew why she had left her wand back there, so that she could see _him_ again.

"That's right. My magic has grown stronger my signature has changed, its strengthened and entwined with my vampire abilities. I have my basic magic skills that every witch has but I also have vampire gifts. I can use one's own power against them. Not only that but I can enhance it tenfold. Repelling it from myself. I can absorb it as well. However back at home we never had the chance to see how long I would have this power for, if I still have the absorbed power in me, I mean." She did not need to look at Jane as she spoke, from the corner of her eyes she saw the young vampire stiffen and tense, her back ramrod straight. She had already felt the effects of what Hermione could do. Hermione could feel Jane's glare, as if she was holding herself back and trying not to use her power to cause her pain. "It also seemed I had random bouts of power whenever my emotions were peaked. Such as when I was angry and upset, or if I wanted to inflict pain. Not only that but I can enter a person's mind and look through their memories to find any information I want. I can also plant false images in a person's mind. Something that has done me well in the past." With that she looked pointedly at Aro whose eyes widened in realisation.

So that day on the grounds of her school, when she took his hands and showed him that image. She had fed him a false image. He had thought that what she had showed him was a vision of the future, like what Alice could do, but it hadn't been. It had been a lie. He didn't know whether to feel annoyance at being tricked or impressed by her skills. She was fascinating indeed and he found himself even more intrigued now than he was earlier.

"Magnifico." He whispered quietly, totally enraptured by her.

"Will you show us your magic then? After all you did promise back in the plane." It was Demetri who spoke up now breaking the silence that had descended after Aro's praise.

Hermione turned to Demetri and smiled remembering her promise to him.

"Of course." She nodded. "I can do little things that is basic for example-" She took her shoes off her feet, putting them in front of her audience. She waved her hand over one turning it into a cup. "I can turn objects into other objects." She waved her hand again and the cup turned into a rat. It began to scamper away but she froze it in place. "I can turn an object into a live creature and make it immobile. These spells are all fun and harmless but there are dangerous ones also." She waved her hand again and the frozen rat began to fly up and down into the air. She unfroze the rat and lay it back onto the ground. "Imperio." She said out loud. "In the Wizarding world there are three curses used only by dark witches and wizards. We call them unforgiveables. They are called that for a reason and I believe you can understand why. Imperio is used to control a person's mind and body getting them to do things against their will." She looked at the rat and commanded it to walk towards the audience, which it did. Then she commanded it to stop, again it followed her command unable to do anything but follow it. "Many wizards have killed saying that they only done it under imperio. That is why it is dangerous." She remembered the fake Alastor Moody's class and suddenly felt like she was teaching it this time. "The next curse is called the Cruciatus, also known as the torture curse. It is incredibly similar to Jane's pain power." Again she did not chance a glance at the young vampire. "Having been under both of them I can say that the difference between them is; Jane's power makes you feel like your body is burning from the inside out. Whereas the Cruciatus feels like you are being stabbed by a thousand hot knives. Both are as painful as you can imagine and both can be used on a vampire just like the Imperio. I'm not sure about Jane's power but being put under the Cruciatus for a long period of time, will eventually turn you mad. I have seen what can happen to a person under prolonged use." Her thoughts turned to Bellatrix Lestrange; she had repelled her Cruciatus and enhanced it. She also added her own flair making Bellatrix hear the cries of everyone she had ever tortured, mostly Frank and Alice Longbottoms cries of pain and agony. She wanted her to feel what it was like. She wanted her to feel their pain as well as Neville's. In doing so she turned the other witch insane, or rather even more insane than she already was.

Aro watched as Hermione became lost in her thoughts. He had been there that day when she had tortured the curly haired witch. She deserved everything that she got, after seeing her thoughts. They were not of a pure and innocent nature.

Hermione shook her head as she looked at the rat.

"Crucio." She said as the rat began to squeal in pain, clawing at the floor and trying in vain to try and run away from whatever it was that was hurting it. The vampires watched with rapt attention, taking some enjoyment from watching the helpless animal suffer. "The last of the three unforgivable curses is aptly called the killing curse. You don't need any explanation on this curse. It won't kill or harm a vampire, I know because I've faced it three times, twice willingly and once as a form of attack. It works against all other living creatures however." Her gaze turned to the rat and without any remorse of guilt she said, "Avada Kedavra." The green light flashed from her hand hitting the rat. With one last startled squeak it fell to the ground unmoving and deadly still. Waving her hand once more she set the rat on fire before causing it to disappear. The vampires began to whisper and murmur amongst themselves, both in nervous astonishment and in awe. "I have to tell you that not all magic is bad or dark. I know lots of spells that are good, or used for protection." She waved her hand over herself and at once her outfit changed into her favourite fighting outfit. Her hair was now pulled into a tight ponytail and her feet were now clad in her leather boots. She felt more like herself dressed like this.

"Wow that was incredible." Demetri said in awe.

"Thanks. I can make myself disappear." With a wave of her hand she disillusioned herself causing everyone to gasp. "I can silence myself." Although they couldn't see her she silenced herself and began to walk amongst the vampires tapping a couple on the shoulders startling them, before appearing once more at her chair. She cancelled the spells and grinned knowingly. "These spells are great making me silent and deadly. It means you can't hear my tell-tale heartbeat." She smiled again then said. "Some spells are even tied to your emotions. There is something in the world called a Dementor. These are horrible creatures used to protect the Wizarding prison, what they do is suck all the happiness out of you, leaving you a cold empty shell. In order to protect yourself from one you need to cast a patronus charm. In order to cast this spell you need to think of the happiest memory that you have." She closed her eyes and thought of the time on the hill when she revealed herself to Severus and he kissed her. "Expecto patronum." She said loudly. A brilliant flash of white light flew from her hand in the form of her newly acquired giant bat patronus. She watched it as it flew around the room twirling and dancing in the air. A wistful look crossed her features as she remembered why it had turned into a bat. The bat flew around the room one more time before disappearing. "My patronus used to be an otter. Then one day it changed."

Aro, who had been watching her with rapture smiled at the fact her patronus was a bat.

"Did it change when you turned my dear? Bats are associated with vampires after all, although we all know that is simply a legend." He grinned warmly at her as he waited for her to answer.

"It did change after I turned, but that is not the reason why. The patronus is tied to you emotions it changed when I-"

"When you fell in love with your wizard." Marcus said with a sad smile.

Aro felt the familiar surge of jealousy tear through him. Everything seemed to tie her with this dark wizard and he hated it.

"That's right. My patronus knew that I loved him before I did." She looked down at her hands and smiled sadly. "The reason why it's a bat is because when he was teaching me to fly he wore these fluttering robes. As I watched him up in the sky, the shape of his body reminded me of a large flying bat." She laughed as she remembered the image of him.

"He taught you to fly." Marcus asked curiously.

"Yes he did. Severus is one of the most powerful and talented wizards I know. He is the inventor of many potions and spells. He can fly; he is a highly skilled Legilimens and Occlumens. That means he is more skilled at invading your mind than what I am. He can also stop you from penetrating his mind and can feed you false images. He is more skilled than me at it. Believe me." She spoke of him with so much pride and love, that every vampire in the room could see her feelings for him.

"Did he teach you that skill as well?" Aro asked through gritted teeth showing an air of calmness despite the anger that filled him. Seeing her like this brought doubts to his mind, making him realise that winning her affection wouldn't be as easy as he first assumed.

"No he never had the need to." She stood taller trying to change the subject. "Apart from flying I can also apparate anywhere I want, within a reasonable distance." One minute she was standing there the next minute she blinked out of existence appearing again at the back of the room. A few startled gasps were heard as she made her way back to the front of the room. "I can appear anywhere outside as long as I know where I'm heading too." She turned to Marcus and smiled. "I hope that answered your questions about my magic. I'm sorry if I got a little carried away." She giggled slightly, that was typical of her, always enthusiastic when it came to learning and showing off her skills.

"That was incredibly informative and enlightening Hermione. It will be good to see what else you can do in the future." He smiled warmly at her but as always the smile never reached his eyes. They were always so tired and sad looking. Remembering what Chelsea said, the reason behind that was because he had lost his mate. Would she look like that the longer she was away from Severus, she wondered sadly.

"Well thank you for the demonstrations. They were educational indeed." Aro said turning his gaze to Caius next. "Brother have you got a question for our new guest?"

Caius looked at Hermione, a look of disdain on his sharp handsome features. It was clear from the moment she had met him that he neither liked nor trusted her.

"I have two brother. Hermione-" The way he said her name was full of distaste, as if it left a bitter taste on his tongue. "What is the full extent of your association with the children of the moon, and are you aware that here in Volterra it is punishable by death?" He looked at her smugly and from the corner of her eyes she saw Jane look at her brother Alec, malicious grins on their young faces.

"Brother that is enough we have already spoken about this." Aro said anger evident in his silky voice.

"Wait it's all right. He has a right to know." She turned her head to Caius defiantly and looked at him with a confidence shining in her eyes. "Yes I'm aware of some of the laws here in Volterra, but fortunately for me you cannot condemn me for the way I acted as a witch. My best friend is a werewolf. When I was first turned it was he I turned too for comfort and friendship. After all he knew how I felt."

"You dare compare them to us." Caius spat out, the anger evident on his face and in his voice.

"Yes I do. Remus wasn't born a werewolf he was attacked as a small boy. Do you think he wanted to be turned into that beast? No he didn't, he loathed that side of himself. How many of you wanted to be turned into a vampire? I know I didn't. I was a promising young witch whose life was taken away. It is ignorance like this, which causes hate and Wars in the world. Remus took a potion that, although it didn't cure his lycanthropy, it meant that he could keep his own mind when he turned so that he couldn't harm anyone. Granted not every werewolf is like that, some like the wolf who turned him preyed on humans, turned them in order to create armies. But with every species there are those who are classed as good and those who are classed as being bad. Look at vampires, look at humans, and look at witches and wizards." She took a moment to calm herself, and stop the irritation from sounding in her voice at Caius's words. "What we are does not define us, but what we do and how we act most certainly does." The whole time she spoke with authority and conviction, showing that she found truth in her own words.

Many in the room listened intently to her and agreed silently with her comparison. Others however would need more convincing. "You want to see my involvement with werewolves other than Remus then let me show you." She said.

She walked up to Caius, her gaze never leaving his, and watched as he recoiled away from her hands as she went to take his.

"What on earth are you doing?" He asked both afraid and nervous.

"You want to know so I'm going to show you but I need you to trust me and look into my eyes."

Caius looked at all the eager faces of the crowd in front of him and didn't want to show fear in front of them. So he done the only thing he could and took her hands, keeping their gazes locked.

He wasn't sure what to expect but the moment she had entered his mind he felt it and tried not to flinch. He was startled when he heard her voice in his head saying,

" _Caius relax; this won't take long."_

Although he found the whole situation both unnerving and fascinating he done as she asked and relaxed. Well as best as he could anyway. Only then did she play different scenes in his mind. The first one was of her fighting two werewolves, her ripping the head off of one and pulling out the heart of the other as she took a bite before tossing it away. This was a warning to other wolves that were lurking not that far away. The second image was her and the Cullen's fighting a group of vampires, with her friend wolf helping them. The scene shifted to her fight with the alpha and finally how she flew them up into the sky before pushing him back down to earth impaling him on a tree branch. Once the image had ended she slowly pulled out of his mind and let go of his hands, before she went back to her chair.

He sat for a moment stunned by everything he had just seen. If those images were true, then he was indeed impressed by her tenaciousness. She was quite the adversary when it came to killing those beasts he so loathed. If those images were true, then she might have just won his respect.

"Well brother what did you see?" Aro asked curiously.

Caius grinned and turned his attention back to Hermione, she visibly relaxed when she saw the admiration shine in his bright red eyes.

"If that's how she fights then we should all be afraid." He gave her a slight tilt of his head then said, "Welcome to Volterra Hermione." Just like that she had finally began to win over Caius.

Aro was incredibly pleased as he clapped his hands with excitement.

"Wonderful I am glad brother. Perhaps later you can share your experience with me." He asked curiously, wanting to know just what she had shown him.

"Of course, I would be delighted to."

"Wonderful." Aro exclaimed again, his boyish smile spreading across his face. "Who wants to ask the next question?" He said looking towards the coven.

"I would beloved." The woman, who Hermione had been trying to avoid, spoke up. Turning her attention to Aro's wife, she noticed how beautiful she was to behold. She had long dark curly hair that flowed sensually down her back. Beautiful full lips with a slight cupid bow, perfect for kissing Hermione mused. Quickly chastising herself for such a thought.

"Of course my dear go ahead." Aro said smiling, even though a cold chill swept through his body. He had not expected his wife to have contact with Hermione and it unnerved him that she was taking an interest in her now.

"Hello dear my name is Sulpicia and I am so glad to make your acquaintance." She smiled warmly at Hermione, who in return smiled politely back. Aro's wife appeared nice and sweet, she didn't seem false as she spoke and genuinely seemed curious. "Please don't think I'm not glad that you're here but isn't it hard being away from your loved ones, especially your mate? Will you return back to him at all?"

Hermione slumped back against the chair slightly as she became lost in her thoughts again. With a deep sigh she turned to Sulpicia and smiled sadly.

"Leaving my loved ones was hard but leaving Severus," She sighed again, shaking her head slightly as if to rid herself of the negative thoughts she was having. "Was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I feel like a part of me is missing." She said truthfully. "He is a wizard however, and despite our feelings I know we could never be together like that. I would love to go back home and see them all again but I have to respect the fact that I chose to come here of my own free will." That wasn't exactly the truth but they didn't need to know that one of the reasons she was here was to protect them.

"That is so sad and sweet; I can't imagine ever being parted from my husband." Sulpicia said laying her hand gently and possessively on Aro's arm, staking her claim in silent warning.

Aro tried not to tense at her touch and smiled, laying his hand on top of hers. He felt uncomfortable at what was passing between the two women.

"Severus and I weren't married but before I left I made him promise me that he would live his life and be happy, even if that means he's happy with someone else."

The thought of Severus with another woman caused her chest to tighten painfully. Although that's what she asked him to do, and hoped that he would do, the thought of him in the arms of another was painful to her. She couldn't think about it, it hurt too much.

She turned her gaze back to Aro and quirking her eyebrow in a way that would make Severus proud she simply said,

"Now I've been nice and answered all of your questions I have some for you _Master_." She said using the name she had heard Chelsea using. "What exactly do you want with me? I know you tried to use Chelsea's powers to bind me here, and failed. I know that you want the powers I have. But I have to ask why?"

Aro was not prepared for her question at all so looked momentarily shocked. How did she know about Chelsea's power, she had said that Hermione knew something had happened but didn't know what exactly? But she did.

"Loyalty is important here in the Volturi coven. We make no exceptions. You are an oddity in our world Hermione, a mixture of witch and vampire. You intrigue us and we want to learn more." Aro said calmly, it was the truth however. "Quid pro quo my dear. Why did you agree to come here? What is it you want?"

Hermione thought about his question for a moment then said,

"What I always want, to learn. I want to know what it's like being a vampire; I want to learn things that only the Volturi can teach me. I am a vampire after all and I think it's about time I embraced this part of myself. I can't do that in the Wizarding world now can I?"

"Very true." Aro simply said. He clapped his hands together once and stood up. "I think we have exhausted our guest enough for one day. We shall adjourn for now and meet up tomorrow at the normal time. For now go and enjoy the rest of your evening."

Everyone began to make their way out, only Chelsea was brave enough to come to her afterwards.

"Hermione I am so sorry about what I tried to do. Please don't hold it against me. I was only following orders."

Hermione smiled reassuringly then said,

"I understand, honestly I do. Just don't do it again." Her eyes tried not to follow Aro and Sulpicia as she took his arm in hers, and they walked through the door of the large room looking beautiful and regal.

"Uh oh looks like it's that time of the week." Chelsea said with a small giggle, making Hermione fully aware of the meaning. "Shall I walk you back to your quarters?" Chelsea asked politely.

Hermione looked around the room, appreciating it for the first time since she had entered.

"Actually if you don't mind I'm going to stay here for a moment. Then I can just apparate back to my quarters." She said with a smug smile. Now that she could picture her quarters it would be easy just to pop in and out whenever she wanted to.

"Are you sure?" Chelsea asked again; glad that she could return quickly back to Afton, her mate.

"Yeah honestly you go. I won't be long I just want to check out this room, it's amazing."

Chelsea had been living here for so long that she really didn't notice the breathtaking sight of the large dome or the marble pillars and floors anymore. She couldn't appreciate it like the fresh eyes of Hermione could.

"No problem. Take your time but be careful." With a small smile Chelsea was off leaving Hermione alone to look around.

Why hadn't she noticed how stunning it was in here? Oh right she had been in a room full of power Volturi vampires that's why. She thought.

The room was large and circular, decorated in cream marble with green trimmings. As she looked up into the dome there were several large windows letting in natural light, but not direct sunlight. No-one would sparkle in here.

She walked over to the three thrones and ran her fingers over each one of them. They were black and gold, very befitting for each of the three leaders. Behind their chairs was a large rectangle space with pillars leading towards a door and more windows. Above the door and the window was a large balcony that could look over the whole of the circular room. A set of stairs was at either side of the balcony, it looked like it was used for grand entrances, maybe a dance or for the three Volturi leaders to show off their leadership. She could picture them coming down the stairs to take their positions on their thrones while court began.

Slowly she made her way past the thrones and to the middle of the circular room. So absorbed was she in looking up at the dome, she didn't realise that she was no longer on her own, until someone roughly tapped her shoulder.

Looking to see who was there she wasn't surprised to see Jane standing, her face void of all emotion.

"I have no idea why my Master wanted you here but he does. You may have fooled them, but you will never fool me. I know what you are." Jane said, her voice cold and angry.

"Oh and what am I?" Hermione said quirking her eyebrow up.

Jane made a snorting noise before looking Hermione straight in the eyes.

"You are nothing but a fraud and soon he will realise that, they all will. But for now know this, I don't like you and I certainly don't trust you."

Hermione stared at the young looking vampire and didn't know whether to feel angry at the way she had just spoken to her, or admire the fact that she wasn't afraid, like some, to talk to her like that.

She moved to stand closer to the other girl, keeping her own emotions close to her chest.

"I have to say that the feeling is mutual. I neither like nor trust you, you have been nothing but rude since the moment we met. What's the matter little girl, upset that you are no longer the apple of your Master's eye. Scared of a little competition."

Jane sneered at her and tilted her head.

"Competition. I would hardly call you that. You know nothing of our world or our ways and I promise you that after tomorrow, you will be on the first flight back to where you came from." Jane smiled smugly and gave a small chuckle. "As I said your little party tricks may have won over some of the Volturi, but you will never win my favour. Until tomorrow."

With that the young vampire turned on her heel and using her vampire speed left Hermione alone to ponder her words. Hermione had to admit that she was left a little unnerved, something big was happening tomorrow and she had no idea what it was. But she got the impression that whatever it was she wouldn't like it.

With that she apparated back to her quarters and the minute she entered the room she cast a silencing charm and set up wards. The last thing she wanted was to hear Aro and Sulpicia in the throes of passion especially when her feelings were so conflicted at the moment. She walked up to the framed pictures and picked up Severus's photo. She caressed his face lovingly before pulling it to her chest, closing her eyes and wishing she was there in his rooms.

She had only been in Volterra for one day and already she missed Hogwarts, her friends and him most of all. It had been a long eventful day and she didn't know how she was going to last being away from them too long.

Still clutching the picture, she sank down onto her knees, and rocked herself on the spot, wishing she could just disappear back into Severus's arms. To her he was home, to hell with everything else.

Hermione wasn't sure how long she sat there, clutching at the photograph and lost in her thoughts. And because of the silencing charms and wards set up, she didn't know that someone tried to unlock the adjourning door to her room, or the fact that because of the wards they were repelled away from the door in confused irritation. This was not the end of it, they would be back to try again later.


	5. Chapter 5

**WARNING- Contains a fairly graphic scene.**

 **Chapter Five**

Hermione really didn't know what to do with herself, as time just seemed to merge slowly together since she no longer had the need to sleep. She wasn't sure what the vampires done at night and made a point to ask when they all met up again the next day.

The truth was she had no idea what time they would be meeting at, because all Aro had said was their usual time, which as a newcomer she wasn't aware of. So she done what she always done and read for a while, actually she sat reading for hours. Hermione always had the ability to pick up any book and immerse herself in the pages quite easily, ever since she was a little girl and first began to read proper books. Back then it was the Penguin Classics that she fell in love with. Dickens, Austen, Bronte, she read them all.

Sitting reading could only satisfy you for so long however and after hours sitting in the same position, she began to feel restless. So Hermione got up and began stretching her legs, how she would love to go for a run at the moment, she thought. Instead she ended up heading to the bathroom for a shower, taking her time in getting washed. Afterwards she took care in getting dressed, making sure she was meticulous in getting ready for the day. Hermione had never been that girl, despite Ginny's numerous attempts to help her, but here in Volterra she felt she had to dress up in order to fit in and impress the guard members. Why she wanted to impress them, she had no idea? But for some reason fitting in seemed important to her. After all she never did truly fit in properly in the muggle world, nor did she in the Wizarding world, so hoped this time would be different, especially if she put the effort in.

Once she was ready she cancelled the silencing charms and wards, almost forgetting about them. If someone had come to her room to fetch her she wouldn't have had any idea about it. In a way she was grateful as she needed some solitude and time on her own to process her thoughts and feelings, and wouldn't have been able to do that if people kept coming to her quarters. She also remembered the reason why she put them up in the first place, to avoid hearing Aro and his wife in the throes of passion.

She felt like a hypocrite when she thought of the pain she felt when thinking of Severus in the arms of another woman, even after she told him to move on. And here she was thinking of another man herself, despite feeling confused about what exactly it was she felt. But hearing Aro and his wife making love, would have pushed her too far.

Once she was ready she sat at the large oak desk and began to read some more but found that she never had the concentration for it. She was going to be so bored if this was all they done day in day out. She couldn't even go for a run, or practice her fighting or her spells. And there was only so much reading one person could do, even if that person was a known bookworm like Hermione Granger.

She could always sneak outside, but the truth was even if she tried to apparate she wouldn't be able to as she didn't know what outside looked like. Or she could disillusion herself and sneak out that way. But she knew by doing that she would probably be breaking a massive rule going out alone in the daylight, risking exposure. It was probably best that she avoided that idea for now and wait and see if someone would come for her. Looking at her watch it read 10.20am. What on earth did they do all day and all night, surely this wasn't it.

She began to pace up and down in boredom, feeling agitated at being left on her own. A visit from Chelsea or even Demetri would have been nice, but she got nothing.

Feeling frustrated she was about to apparate back into the dome room and demand something to do, when a loud firm knock landed on her door.

"Finally." She said out loud, walking to the door and opening it wide to see Demetri standing there leaning against the door frame, a sly grin on his face.

"Good morning I hope your night wasn't too tedious." He grinned knowingly.

She rolled her eyes at him and welcomed him into her quarters, but he declined.

"Next time perhaps, but right now we need to go and meet the rest of the Volturi. The leaders have set up a surprise in your honour. So we mustn't be late." He grinned again. "Shall we?" He held out his arm to her and unable to resist she smiled before taking it.

"Let's." She said closing the door, before warding and locking it all up. She knew this was probably a little extreme considering where she was, but she done it mostly out of habit. That and she didn't want to risk taking any chances that someone, like Jane, would break in and snoop around.

Before they took a single step, Hermione stood looking at Demetri an excited glint sparkling in her eyes.

"How would you like me to apparate us to the dome room." She asked watching his reaction intently.

His eyes widened at her words causing him to look first worried and unsure, then contemplative.

"Can you really do that?" He asked curiously.

"Of course I can. So how about it? Are you brave enough to try?" She coaxed teasingly.

He thought for a moment then asked,

"What exactly happens when, you know you disappear like that?"

Hermione smiled, glad that he didn't just toss her idea to the side. That he did actually seem to contemplate it first, before he undoubtedly said no. It was a start at least.

"Well I won't lie it's like being sucked by your naval and squeezed through this small tube. It will leave you slightly disorientated. But it's an experience. I promise you won't regret it." She teased him playfully, trying to convince him to at least try it. "I will be honest and say that you need to keep still because I could splinch you if you don't?"

"Splinch?" He asked with a furrowed brow, clearly confused by what she meant.

"Erm yeah it's when a part of you is left behind. I've known people to leave fingers and toes behind, also eyebrows, strangely enough. I'm not saying this to put you off or scare you out of it. I just thought you should know all the facts before deciding."

He gazed at her for a moment, the different emotions playing across his face, before tilting his head up in confidence.

"Alright then go ahead, do your worst." He grinned.

"Oh I will." She moved to stand in front of him and placed his hands firmly on her waist. Before he had the chance to say anything to her or change his mind, she apparated them away to the dome room.

The moment they landed Demetri swayed before falling onto his backside. Hermione quickly knelt beside him, concern written all over her face as others stood and watched on.

"Demetri are you alright?" She asked nervously.

He shook his head but not in the negative way, it was like he was trying to stop his head from spinning. He finally, after a moment or two, turned his head to look at Hermione, a huge big grin spreading across his face as he helped them both up to their feet.

"That was amazing." He exclaimed, his voice full of excitement and wonder. "Honestly I've never felt anything like it. I mean yes it left me feeling queasy but what a rush. Can we do it again?"

Hermione couldn't help but laugh at his enthusiasm.

"Wow there tiger I think once was enough for now, but maybe another time. I'm glad you liked it though. It's something you can tell your friends about later." She smiled nudging his arm slightly, as if they were old friends.

Through the whole exchange a pair of blazing red eyes was watching them interacting with each other. His eyes narrowed, as that familiar feeling of jealousy surged through his body. He hated the fact he felt this way and couldn't do anything about it. Having his mate in such a close proximity and watching her with other males left him reeling. He was a jealous and possessive man and didn't share what was his. Knowing he couldn't do anything about it made the feeling worse.

"It looks like our guest has made her first step at bonding." Marcus said coming up behind him.

Aro turned a pointed glare at him and hissed,

"What do you mean by that?"

Marcus chuckled at seeing his brother look so riled up, it wasn't often Aro lost the excited boy façade.

"I mean by Demetri accepting her there, she has felt comfortable enough to see him as a possible friend. She isn't quite there yet, but I see them being close. I thought you would be glad that she appears to be settling in already?" Marcus asked noticing the frown on Aro's face deepen.

"Of course I want her to settle here, but I want her to settle here with me not some other male." He said angrily.

"Do not fear brother, they do not see each other as lovers merely friends?" He looked at Aro seriously then said, "Are you sure you want to go through with this Aro? Maybe it's too soon. You don't want to put Hermione off and scare her away."

"She wanted to see what we are truly like, so she's getting to see us at our best."

Marcus sighed at Aro's response.

"Please think about this. Remember what I told you, if you want to win her heart then don't push her, don't force this upon her please."

Before Aro had the chance to say anything more about the subject, Chelsea burst through the door, a black raven flying above her. She looked annoyed as her eyes lingered on the foul vermin.

"Chelsea what on earth are you doing with that?" Caius asked pointing up at the bird.

"There was an insistent tapping on the window and when I went to check, this horrible thing came flying through. I couldn't stop it honestly. The damn thing pecked at me." She huffed to a room full of sniggers.

Hermione looked at the raven and smiled as it came towards her. Holding out her arm it flew down and settled on her contentedly. She ran two fingers over its head and wings inspecting it.

"I see you found me then." She smiled as she took in Dante's appearance. The long journey here didn't seem to have ruffled his feathers too badly. He pecked at her fingers fondly, before nuzzling his head against her cheek. "You must be tired and hungry. Unfortunately you need to wait a little longer as I don't have anything for you at the moment."

"You know this bird?" Caius asked, walking towards her curiously.

She smiled and petted Dante's head once more, as he lapped up the attention he had sorely missed.

"Yes this is Dante my familiar. He was a gift for me before I left Hogwarts."

Caius looked at her and smiled slightly.

"A gift from your wizard?" Caius asked curiously.

Hermione's gaze looked down at Dante as a small sad sigh escaped.

"No not from Severus. It was a gift from the most powerful wizard in the world." She smiled fondly as she thought of Albus Dumbledore and his twinkling blue eyes.

"He is very beautiful. May I?" He asked cautiously. Caius knew things hadn't started off well with him and Hermione. But after she showed him those scenes things had changed. She had changed in his estimation. So he thought he would make the effort now. And one thing he always loved was birds. Seeing the raven had simply peaked his interest in her further. She wasn't at all what he had expected and was glad of that. Things might be a little more exciting around here from now on.

"If Dante will let you." She replied moving her arm closer to Caius.

He moved closer and reached his hand out slowly, as the bird watched him intently. Moving too fast and he was sure the bird would peck him too. Dante nudged his hand, testing him before moving down Hermione's arm to Caius's. He smiled as the bird settled contently on him, as he began to gently stroke his feathers.

"He truly is magnificent. You are very lucky indeed." He seemed mesmerised by the bird on his arm as he stroked his feathers careful not to hurt him, with his strength.

"He is beautiful." She smiled, pleased that she finally seemed to be getting on with Caius of all people.

He turned a teasing grin on her and said,

"I thought witches had black cats as familiars not beautiful black ravens."

Hermione laughed shaking her head no.

"That's only in fairy tales. Anyway I always thought vampires burned in the sunlight, not sparkle."

He chuckled quietly before quirking an eyebrow at her.

"Touché." He replied, pleasantly surprised with the ease in which they were able to banter. He would not have thought this possible yesterday, but here they were. "Why the name Dante?" He asked suddenly curious.

Hermione giggled before replying,

"That was Albus who named him that, but I rather like it after all Dante is one of my favourite poets."

Caius grinned at her then said,

"Mine too."

From the back of the room the other two leaders of the Volturi were watching the exchange between Caius and Hermione. Neither one expected to see the normally formidable Caius change his opinions and views so quickly, but somehow Hermione had managed to work her magic on him, to their surprise and amusement.

"It looks like a second bond may have been formed." Marcus whispered quietly in Aro's ear, who was stunned that his brother was gaining her affections quicker than what he was.

"All of that because of a bird?" He asked the surprise evident in his voice.

"That's not the reason Aro and you should know that by now. It's because he has made the effort to get to know the witch side of her. That's what you should be doing. Not this." He said gesturing the room with his hand.

"Don't tell me what to do Marcus." Aro hissed.

"I am not telling you what to do brother; I am merely trying to guide you in the right direction."

Aro glanced around the room, noticing everyone was there bar one. Just the way it should be, he grinned.

"I think it's time we began." He said without turning to look at Marcus before he walked to his throne. He sighed contentedly as he watched his coven, his family, interacting and chatting away with one another. They were a strong group and he took immense pride in being their leader. He chose only the best to become Volturi members, those with powers who satisfied his need. After scanning the room he let his eyes drift briefly on her, she was beautiful to behold, but she was much more than just her looks. He was a greedy man and he wanted it all and he wanted it all with her.

"I would like your attention please." Aro said his silky voice flowing around the room, stopping the murmurs and causing the room to fall into a respectful quiet. "Brothers." He simply said neither giving a command or an order, for he didn't have too, as they both moved to his side where they belonged. The raven that had been on Caius's arm flew high into the dome, perching on a window sill. "You all know why you are here today." He said a wide smile on his face. "But our new member does not. So I dedicate this celebration in her honour." He glanced at Hermione, his eyes wide and shining with anticipation and glee.

Hermione felt a cold chill run throughout her body. Whatever was happening now did not sit right with her, something felt odd, it felt wrong somehow. The strange look on Aro's face, the sly grin on Caius's and the worry etched on Marcus's, made her stomach sink with dread.

She looked at some of the guard members faces, some were looking at her and others were looking at the three leaders. Jane stared openly at Hermione, watching her every reaction. Her eyes were filled with smug amusement and for the first time since Hermione laid eyes on her, she had an actual smile on her face. The smile was not pleasant however; it was full of knowing, she was gloating at Hermione.

Whatever was happening Hermione decided to face it head on. It couldn't be that bad. Right? She stood taller; her head tilted in that defiant way that spoke of confidence. She had never run away from a challenge yet and wasn't about to start now.

"I believe that it is almost time so places everyone, if you please." Aro commanded.

Hermione watched as the three leaders sat down on their thrones simultaneously and the guard members stepped back against the wall, so that they were almost hidden in shadows. Demetri, who was standing beside Hermione, pulled her back alongside him.

"What is going on?" She whispered to him, the nervous dread filling her.

"Shh you'll see just wait a few minutes." He smiled at her, although he too appeared to be anxious like Marcus.

From outside the hall, Hermione began to hear the shuffling of feet and excited whispers. But that was not all. She heard the thrumming beat of hearts, fast approaching. Humans. She thought pressing her back further against the wall.

Why were humans in a place full of vampires? She wondered. Then the thought suddenly hit her, a solid cold punch to the stomach. She let her gaze travel across the Volturi, noting the hunger and eagerness etched on their faces. They were going to feed.

Hermione suddenly thought back to the journey to Volterra, to everything that Aro had said to her. All the little hints and quirky remarks he made. All the sniggers and chuckles she had seen and heard from Felix and Demetri. It all made sense to her now. Aro had dedicated this celebration to her; he wanted her to see this. He wanted her to see them feed, to see what they were truly like. He wanted her to join in with them. He wanted her to become one of them. The thoughts ran rampant through her mind, unable to stop them once they had started.

She turned her horror filled gaze to Jane who was watching Hermione with such gloating satisfaction. Her words yesterday struck Hermione then. She knew that Hermione would not take part in such a thing, and believed Hermione would run away from it. She was taunting her with truths. Hermione wanted no part in this. But she could not do anything, as the doors suddenly opened and in walked a group of about 30 humans, innocent and unaware of the horrors that was about to unfold.

Heidi was ushering them all into the room, her words bringing calmness to the humans.

"Here in this room it was said that a great coven of vampires lived before St Marcus purged them from the city."

The crowd of tourists 'oohed' and 'ahhed' taking pictures of the three Volturi leaders, thinking it was some kind of amazing re-enactment.

Aro rose to his feet just as the doors closed shut behind them, trapping them inside the room. The focus of the tourists was solely on him and not their surroundings, so they did not see the hidden vampires.

"Welcome to Volterra I am so glad you could join us on this very special day." He let his gaze wander to Hermione, who shrank further back into the wall. "Breakfast is served." He said as a menacing grin spread across his face as he lowered himself back into the throne to watch. Dread and fear engulfed Hermione at the way his tone of voice lowered. Gone was the excited boyish lilt. In its place was the deadly leader that he was.

What happened next happened so fast that all Hermione could see were blurs in the flurry of movements. The vampire's descended on their prey so fast, that the humans didn't have a chance to blink before they were set upon.

Horrified screams of fear and panic tore from the centre of the room, as the vampires feasted on the group of tourists. The three leaders sat on their thrones watching the scene before them, never flinching or showing any kind of emotion whatsoever. They were cold and distant and couldn't care less about the humans being killed.

Aro watched Hermione intently, as she shrunk back against the wall, a look of sheer horror and anguish written clearly across her face. As soon as the screams had started she quickly covered her ears, but nothing could block out the noise. He watched and waited patiently as a myriad of emotions crossed her features. From horror to fear, from fear to anguish, from anguish to disgust, from disgust to anger. She was mesmerising and he was enraptured.

As the screams began to lower, he heard her breathy whisper of 'stop', causing him to chuckle inwardly. Nothing could stop what was now in progress. He heard her say it for the second time, a little louder now with a hint of conviction. But still no-one heard her plea.

He watched with interest and excitement, as the air suddenly changed around them, crackling and full of raw magic. Hermione's hands moved away from her ears as she stepped away from the wall, anger blazing from her eyes causing them to glow. She glared at the ruckus in the middle of the room and in a loud commanding voice she yelled,

"I said stop!" While at the same time she slammed her foot hard against the tiled floor. This action caused the very foundations of the Palazzo dei Priori to tremble and shake with Hermione's fury. The aftereffects caused what felt like a small explosion to knock every vampire off their feet and across the floor, leaving Hermione the only one still standing, amongst a floor strewn with bodies.

The three leaders were sitting on their thrones and if it wasn't for that they would have flown across the room as well. Instead they were pushed back against their thrones.

Aro watched with concealed excitement as magic radiated from every part of Hermione, he could feel it pulsating in waves around the room bringing the air to life. This is what he wanted, to see and feel that power once more. She was truly remarkable when she was angry and worked up.

"How dare you?" She said her voice filled with unconcealed anger and conviction. "You are nothing but barbaric animals, killing innocent human beings in such a cowardly way." Her beautiful face was now distorted with anger and disgust. "There were children amongst that group, innocent young children." She hissed out, trying not to think of the bile that was rising in her throat.

"The younger they are the more potent they are." Jane grinned at Hermione, standing to her feet.

"Silence." Hermione yelled causing the room to tremble again with her anger, making Jane fall back to the floor once more. She looked up at Hermione a look of pure hatred crossing her face.

"Pain." Jane whispered but Hermione was too fast. She immediately cast a protective shield and repelled Jane's power, using it against the foolish young vampire for the second time. She watched with satisfaction as Jane writhed about in pain on the floor. Her tortured screams sounding like music to Hermione's ears. Slowly Hermione advanced on Jane cancelling the spell as she went. Bending over she looked down onto the vampire, a malicious smile forming on her own face.

"Not so little party tricks now are they?" She sneered, her face full of contempt.

"Enough." Aro said reluctant to stop the floor show he was thus far enjoying. But sadly he knew he had to intervene before things escalated any further. "Hermione dear you wanted to know how we fed, so now you know." He smiled.

Anger blazed through Hermione once more, he could feel it radiating off her.

"You could have told me instead of showing me." She said her voice cold and hard.

"Where is the fun in that?" Aro smiled, provoking her wrath once more.

"Fun." Hermione hissed, the magic crackling further, slight vibrations rippling across the floor. "You call that fun. You are nothing but cowards, treating human beings as though they are lambs for the slaughter. You used to be like them, have you no shred of human decency left in you?"

Aro laughed wholeheartedly at her.

"My dear sweet naive Hermione. Some of us have been vampires for thousands of years. Any human decency we had has long gone now. This is what and who we are. This is what and who you are too."

Aro realised the mistake he made, as her anger came rippling towards him in surge of power unlike anything he had felt before. It pushed him forcibly back down onto his throne.

"That is not who I am. That will never be who I am." She yelled. "I came from a world where I fought against evil and darkness. To stop them killing innocents, to stop them killing people like me. I will not stand back and watch you do the same." She glared at Aro her eyes blazing with fury. "I am not so naïve. I accept that some vampires out there feed off of humans that is their right to do so. But what I just saw was nothing but cowardice. I will not be a part of that. As for human decency it is not gone for me. My heart beats still, reminding me of who I am and where I come from. I shall never forget that. Not in a hundred years or even a thousand."

Aro smiled at her, standing to his feet once more.

"Oh but my dear you will forget eventually, we all do. And here in Volterra you will be one of us."

Hermione looked down at the Volturi crest that hung around her neck, suddenly feeling the full weight of it. It felt heavy and tight, almost like a noose. With a feral growl she tore it off and flung it down at Aro's feet.

"I will never be one of you. I can go back home whenever I choose." She declared. The smug smile on Jane's face caught her eyes. Looking at the vampire, Hermione realised that Jane had just won. She had gotten what she wanted and that was Hermione to leave. Well Hermione was equally determined. Turning her gaze back to Aro, she felt her shoulders stiffen as she knew what she must do. "I will not leave Volterra. But I will not be one of you and I will never, ever, be a part of what I just saw."

Aro smiled at seeing Hermione look so determined. Clasping his hands together he took a small step towards her and tilted his head to the side.

"Ahh but if you wish to stay here mio caro then you must eat with us or not at all." He said giving her the ultimate ultimatum. One she could not refuse.

He watched as her mind began to work, as she thought of the ramifications of his words. But as she locked gazes with him, her whole posture changed to that of someone who was determined.

"Very well then, I chose not at all." She turned on her heel and whistled. The raven flew to her landing on her shoulder. And in a blink of an eye, both Hermione and the bird were gone, a loud crack sounding behind.

"Well that was something." Caius said a look of shock and bewilderment on his face.

"Wasn't it just." Aro said with giddy excitement. "Guards dispose of the bodies accordingly, make sure they are all dead first." Aro bent down and picked up Hermione's necklace, curling it up tightly in his hand. "Brothers let's adjourn to our quarters, we have much to discuss."

Caius nodded and bolted to the door using his vampire speed. Aro went to follow but was quickly caught by Marcus and pulled into a secluded spot away from the rest of the guard.

"What is wrong with you? I told you that your plan wouldn't work." His own anger at his brother was evident in his voice, a tone that he hadn't used since his beloved Didyme was killed.

Aro looked at his brother and grinned smugly.

"Actually brother my plan worked flawlessly. She was beautiful in there. Everything I thought she would be and more."

Marcus's eyes widened as realisation hit him.

"You wanted to provoke her. You wanted that to happen. But why?"

Aro laughed quietly.

"I have felt her glorious power at full force before and wanted to feel it again. She has so much potential inside but refuses to acknowledge it." He looked at Marcus seriously and said, "I want to help her unlock this potential. I want her to be the best that she is, so that when the time comes she will sit by my side not just simply as my mate but also as my equal." He let his fantasy of them together filter through his mind briefly, before Marcus cut through his thoughts like a knife.

"Brother you are playing a dangerous game. You saw what she did in there, she could have caused the building to come down on us all, think of the danger you are putting us all in. This isn't just about you."

Aro gave a frustrated sigh.

"You underestimate me brother and more importantly you underestimate her. Things will go to plan, I am sure of that."

"And if they don't what then."

Aro gave a feral grin then said,

"Then we lure her with the one weakness she has."

Marcus's eyes widened as he whispered,

"The wizard."

Aro nodded. If he couldn't get Hermione to come to them willingly, then he would use the love she had for the dark wizard to lure her instead.

"Then I hope you know the risks you are taking brother. For all our sakes."

With that both Aro and Marcus left to join Caius in their quarters, unbeknownst to them that someone had overheard their private conversation. Anger was evident on their beautiful face and a hatred for Hermione burned brighter than before. They would not let this parasite hurt the world that they loved and cherished, even if she was Aro's true mate. A plan was needed to rid Volterra of the woman who could destroy their world and perhaps Aro was right, perhaps the dark wizard was the key to do that. Or perhaps others were.

* * *

The moment Hermione appeared in her quarters; she silenced and warded her rooms, before falling to her knees with a loud thud, as great big heaving sobs tore painfully through her body. Gone were the days she couldn't cry.

She heaved and spluttered as she thought of the piercing screams fill the silence, as she stood by watching innocent people being killed in front of her very eyes. She could have stopped them sooner but she hadn't. Fear had prevented her. Perhaps it wasn't them who were the cowards perhaps it was her. She had the power to stop it before it started but she didn't, she hadn't even tried. After everything she had gone through and done in the Wizarding World she couldn't save those people, those poor children whose lives she had watched being cut short far too soon. None of the vampires showed regret or compassion. They were cold hearted, uncaring monsters seeing only their next meal. It disgusted and sickened her to the core

The screams were not the most terrifying thing about what had just happened however. No they would haunt her; she knew that much, but something else chilled her to the bone. After all that bloodshed, reluctantly she looked back at what happened, she noticed that not a single drop of crimson liquid had been spilled.

Wiping the tears from her face, she gave a deep shuddering sigh, as she ran her fingers through her hair, pulling it slightly at the ends to feel pain.

What had she done? Because of her stubborn nature and not wanting to see Jane win, she was now stuck here. She would not be able to feed, she had no friends, she had nothing but herself and Dante.

She couldn't imagine Aro giving into her anytime soon, and she wouldn't want him to either. Standing to her feet she wiped viciously at her face and took in a pointless breath. With a renewed determination she vowed to herself that if that was how Aro wanted to be then that was fine by her. She would rather starve herself than give in to his demands, for that was what he wanted. She only hoped that she was strong enough to endure what was to come.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

The air in the Palazzo dei Priori was thick and charged, bringing with it the feeling of dread. And the further the vampires walked through the halls and into the deepest bowels of the Palazzo, the thicker the air became until finally they reached a door, a door that lead to a set of private quarters. Her private quarters.

Here the magic energy was at its thickest, as it grew and swirled so that you could feel it rippling against your skin and heard it thrumming through the air like electricity. It was unlike anything the Volturi had ever felt before. And it left them feeling apprehensive about what to do about it. The tension between the Volturi members had grown and unrest had settled amongst them, because of fear of the unknown. They had always felt safe and secure here in their home but now they felt like they were in danger, a danger that they knew nothing about.

This was especially so for the three leaders, who were often found in their private quarters arguing about the situation amongst themselves, away from the restless guard members.

"Aro this needs to end now. Hermione hasn't fed for six weeks and you can feel what it is doing to her magic. You have both proven your points but it needs to stop now before something happens." Marcus said with a long suffering sigh.

He had known six weeks ago after he had tried to change his brother's mind about showing Hermione their eating habits that no good would come from it. But Aro, being the stubborn and determined vampire that he was still went along with his ludicrous plan. Six weeks later and it felt as though they were waiting for an explosion to go off, the air was so thick with raw magical energy.

"Marcus is right brother. Hermione has lasted longer than anyone could have expected, but you can feel what it is doing to her. She is struggling to control her magic, and if you leave it any longer she may not be able to control her basic urges as well."

Both Marcus and Caius watched their brother standing quietly, his back turned to them as he stood in thoughtful contemplation.

"Aro we beg you to end this now. If Hermione loses control then who knows what her magic will do. We already saw the consequences of her anger when she shook the foundations of the building. Next time she might actually tear it down." Marcus said.

Still Aro was quiet.

"Not only that brother-" Caius said jumping in when it was clear Aro wasn't about to speak. "If Hermione loses control of her basic urges, then who will stop her when she breaks free and feeds from the people of Volterra. None of us has the power to stop her, and I can guarantee none of us will want to even try. She is too powerful. Do you dare risk the exposure of our people? Is that not what you have always strived to avoid brother, no matter what the cost?"

Caius and Hermione may not have had the best start in the beginning, but he had genuinely begun to start liking her. She was not at all what he had expected and he rather enjoyed getting to know her a little better. He understood why his brother done what he done. After all to live in Volterra and become a member of the Volturi you had to adapt to their ways. But Hermione was different to any other vampire, she was special. She hadn't been a vampire long and not only that but she was still half witch, and still had a beating heart, although it was an odd sounding one. It was clear that fateful day, that Aro was pushing her too hard and too fast. Caius himself, didn't see any problem in allowing her to feed off of animals if that's what she wanted to do. Maybe over time her views and opinions on the matter would change, the longer she was with them and one of them. But Aro wanted everything to happen now, pushing her that little bit too far.

"And what do you suppose we do brother?" Aro finally asked, his voice sounding strangely void of emotion. Normally he sounded like an excited boy, now he simply sounded weary.

The truth was that at the beginning he had enjoyed goading her, his powerful little enigma. But after a week of her not feeding, of her locking herself in her quarters, not letting anyone in or even near her door, he began to grow worried. For her, for his coven and for his home. He realised that he had taken things too far that he should have put things to an end then and there, but he couldn't. Pride wouldn't let him. That and the fact he wanted to see how far she would push herself. Never did he think after six weeks that this would have happened.

As her mate, which he was now certain of, the pull between them was growing stronger now that they were in such close proximity. Her emotions were now tied to his and he could feel her anguish, he could feel her thirst and her flesh burning, as if it was his own. But still he could not end it.

"Not we brother, _you_." Marcus said. " _You_ caused this and _you_ must fix this before it is too late. Push your stubborn pride to the side and let her have what she wants."

Aro chuckled, a low cynical chuckle that sounded tired and bitter.

"Again I ask how do you suppose _I_ do that?" He whirled around to face Caius and Marcus, his face set in a stone mask devoid of any expression. "How can I possibly do that when no-one can enter her quarters, when no-one can even get near them without being blasted away?" He knew that from experience when he had tried to gain access to her from both sets of doors that lead into her private quarters. Each time he tried some magical force propelled him away. It was embarrassing that he, the leader of the Volturi, could not reach her, and was glad for the fact he had been alone during these attempts. He thought it might have just been him that she was blocking out, after all he had been the instigator of the situation, so he sent Felix and Demetri, but the same thing happened to both of them as well. There was no way they could get near to her.

Marcus and Caius remained silent in thought, going over Aro's words. Sadly he was right she had completely blocked everyone out, making herself unreachable. They knew that in a way she was fine, for she appeared every now and again in the dome room with Dante the black raven. But then she would blink out of existence and not be seen again. Dante would go off outside and when he returned back to the Palazzo, she would come back for him, although no-one ever saw her.

"How about we wait for her to appear in the dome room, after she disappears we take Dante back here and leave a note for her. We could use the bird as bait and lure her here so that we can talk to her." Caius said with a sly grin on his face.

Both Marcus and Aro nodded their head at the possible solution, with Marcus finding a possible problem.

"The only thing is, she will no doubt be angry at us for taking her bird and luring her here under false pretences. How do we react if she blasts us with her magic?" Marcus asked.

"Good point." Caius agreed. Before turning to look at Aro, knowing his suggestion probably wouldn't be welcome. "We could always write to the wizard and ask him to come."

Aro's back stiffened at the thought of the dark wizard stepping foot into his home and getting close to Hermione. He didn't want that and hated the idea instantly. Caius did not know about Hermione being his mate, only Marcus knew. He thought hard about how he could say no to that idea without sounding pitiful, and then it occurred to him. His eyes widened and that pleased glint was back in his eyes, but only for a brief moment.

"That brother is a good idea but unfortunately it will not work." He sighed, clasping his hands together behind his back.

"Why is that?" Marcus asked, knowing already the reason why Aro did not want the dark wizard here.

"Because brother Hermione once confessed that the dark wizard was her singer. In her heightened state of hunger, it would be too dangerous for the dark wizard to be here. She may not be able to control herself around him." His argument was valid and he was pleased to have thought of it so quickly. But at the same time he thought about what would happen if she came into contact with her singer. She would not be able to resist temptation and would kill him, leaving Aro the victor. As much as he enjoyed the thought of that he still could not risk him being here. Should she manage to control herself around the dark wizard then she may realise her feelings for him were still strong. And Aro did not like that thought at all.

"Fair point brother. I think it would be best for Hermione not to come into contact with any humans not just the dark wizard. I did not give proper thought to that suggestion." Caius said agreeing with Aro.

"So then we go with Caius's first idea then and take the bird to lure her out." Marcus said. "Let's just hope she doesn't blow us up then." He said jokingly, although his voice betrayed the seriousness of his words. "The only question now is who will take the bird?" He looked at both his brothers.

"I think I should handle the bird, after all it did come to me that day. But I think Aro should be the one to make her leave, since it is him she is angry at most of all." He said with a small smile.

"Thank you for that reminder brother. It pleases me to know that I have provided you with some form of entertainment." Aro said sarcastically.

"I think out of the three of us I should be the one to talk to her. I have the voice of reason and have not yet had much interaction with her." Marcus said.

Both Caius and Aro looked at him with wide eyes.

"Are you sure brother, you do realise that she is highly volatile at the moment?" Caius asked with some surprise.

"I'm sure. I think it is about time I made my presence known to her, as I feel it will be of some benefit in the future."

Aro sat down and crossed his leg, letting his arm drape over the side of the chair.

"Do you see something brother?" He asked curiously.

"Nothing yet but there is a potential bond between us. It has not yet been formed. After that day any bonds she did make have been threatened and it will take some time to repair the damage that has been done." He sighed softly then looked at Aro. "Now that we have our plan of action in place I do think that now is the time to tell Caius what you know Aro. It is only fair after all."

Aro frowned at Marcus, unhappy that he wanted Caius to know about the connection between him and Hermione. He knew that Marcus was right but felt like now was not the right time. Especially since things were so hostile.

"I don't think I should say anything at the moment brother. Do you really think it is the right time, considering how things are?"

"I think now is the perfect time Aro. He has to know eventually so why not now?" Marcus replied, his voice sounding slightly sterner than before.

"Would someone please tell me what on earth you are talking about?" Caius said, impatience sounding in his voice.

Aro sighed, knowing when he was outnumbered and turned his head to look at Caius.

"Very well brother but please before you say anything listen to what I have to say first."

Caius slowly nodded his head in agreement before saying,

"Of course." Sitting back against the chair he listened intently to Aro's story.

"Do you remember when that curly haired horrendous witch came to us about Hermione? Well when we saw her torturing that witch-" He said wistfully as he remembered feeling her power for the first time. "I felt something I had never felt before, a strange pull towards her." He held his hand up to Caius and said, "Please brother leave your comments to the end. Anyway where was I? Ahh yes I remember now. That day when I went to investigate her further, I just happened to meet her in the Ministry of Magic. Well the moment I locked eyes on her I felt it again, this magical pull that made me want to go to her. I knew she could sense it as well but somehow she managed to resist. Every time after that I have felt it, only now that she is so close to me it has grown stronger and stronger. So that now I can feel her emotions. I have no doubt in my mind that she is my true mate."

Caius looked at his brother in shock. He wasn't sure what he was expecting to hear but that certainly wasn't it.

"Are you quite sure brother?" Caius said looking from Aro to Marcus then back to Aro for some kind of confirmation.

"It is true Caius. I have seen their potential bond." Marcus said.

"Well that changes everything then. Can't you just tell her the truth and win her loyalty that way?"

Aro frowned and through gritted teeth said,

"Unfortunately it is not as simple as that."

"Why? If she is indeed your true mate she will feel the pull too. And we all know that once two vampires feel that, it cannot be ignored."

Aro sighed sadly and rubbed his hand against his forehead.

"You are forgetting one small problem Caius, the dark wizard." Marcus said quietly.

"Why is that such a problem? She may have feelings for him but if Aro is her mate then-"

"Enough." Aro snapped, cutting his brother off from saying any more. "The problem lies with the fact that she is a witch and shares a unique bond with him. A bond of love that caused her heart to beat once more. A bond like that is unheard of and won't be easy to break."

The truth of the matter was that he wasn't sure what would happen to him if Hermione did not react to their pull. Vampires were fine when they did not know who or where there mates were. But when two mates knew of each other and didn't react to the mating pull, well it could cause future problems for them. He had heard stories of madness and destruction, because the need to be with their mate was too strong. The act of jealous rage had caused some to destroy their potential mate and any lovers they had. It was a dangerous thing to ignore. But with Hermione being who she was, Aro wasn't sure how things would go between them.

"That does cause quite a problem. Does Hermione know what that pull means?" Caius asked.

"If she does then she has not yet acknowledge it to us." Marcus said.

"And if she does react to being your mate and chooses you and not the dark wizard then what about Sulpicia? She is your wife after all and has been in the coven for so long. You can't just abandon her." Caius said.

He knew how important being mates was in the vampire world. He had felt it with Athenodora, his true mate. He had seen what losing a mate could do to a person, for he saw the pain and anguish in Marcus every day, and knew that the only reason he was still here with them today was because of Chelsea's powers. She had to bind his loyalty to the Volturi keeping him here, otherwise he would have broken a rule that was punishable by death, just so that he could be with his beloved Didyme. Caius knew it was an extreme case of desperation but they couldn't lose Marcus. He was far too important to the Volturi.

He had known Sulpicia wasn't Aro's true mate when she had been turned. But Aro did fall in love with her when he had been courting her and wanted her by his side. He had never expected to find his true mate, and wanted to settle with someone who could make him happy. Sulpicia did make him happy but there was always something missing. As Aro's wife she became close to the other two leaders and their wives and so became like a sister to Caius and Marcus. He wouldn't like to see her tossed to the side like that. She was still a part of the family no matter what.

"I would never abandon her Caius, she is my wife and will remain so until I am aware of Hermione's feelings. If she chooses me, then I will get Marcus to dissolve our marriage and will keep her as a low member of the guard like Ashton." Aro said.

Marcus had the power to marry vampires for in his former life he had been a priest. So when he was turned he kept this power and performed all the wedding ceremonies in Volterra for the Volturi members. Since he had the power to marry couples, he also had the power to dissolve marriages as well, but only under certain circumstances however, as marriage was still sacred here after all. For Aro getting his marriage to Sulpicia dissolved would be because of a special circumstance, as it meant he could be with his true mate.

Caius frowned at that suggestion but said nothing. He believed Sulpicia deserved better than to become a low ranking member after having spent years as Aro's wife. So he simply said,

"If you think that is best brother."

"Now back to the task at hand. Have we agreed then that the plan of action is as follows? We will watch for Hermione to come to the dome room with the bird. Aro you will enter the room, hopefully causing Hermione to leave. Caius you will quickly come in and lure the bird away to our quarters. I will leave a note for Hermione telling her where to come and hopefully she will come here where I will be waiting to speak to her. Is that everything then?" Marcus asked spreading his hands out, gesturing that he had finished speaking.

"I believe that is everything." Aro agreed.

"Yes I think so. But let's hope she doesn't shoot off her magic in the meantime." Caius said, a small smile playing on his lips, while he quirked an eyebrow up at his brothers.

Now that the plan was decided they had to find a way to get the other guard members to stay away from the dome room in the meantime, should they interfere with things. Not only that but they had to somehow stake out the room and wait for her to join them, so that they could put this plan into action. It wouldn't be easy but things had to change quickly or else the damage that could be done would no doubt be severe. Things had gone on long enough and they couldn't take anymore chances.

* * *

Six weeks had passed. Six weeks since Remus and Dora's wedding. Six weeks since she had left Hogwarts and first came to Volterra. Six long weeks since she had last fed. And it felt like agonizing torture to her.

The first four weeks weren't too bad and at first she felt fine and was sure she could handle things. She thought of everything she had saw and heard that day, the horrified screams of innocents still echoing in her mind. It made her sick to her stomach when she thought of what they must have went through, how terrified they must have been. No matter what happened, she would re-live that moment every day for all of eternity. Guilt crushed her when she thought about how she hadn't helped them, how she hadn't even tried. And every time she looked back and thought what if….What if she acted faster? What if she had tried to save them? But no matter what scenario ran through her mind, she could not change the past. She had failed them.

She hated Aro for bringing her to this world, for making her see the horrors of them feeding. She despised him for being so cold toward the innocent humans. But most of all she despised him because despite what had passed between them he obviously didn't care enough about her or who she was. He hadn't even tried to shield her from those horrors. In fact he wanted her to see them. Anything she may have felt for him, died along beside those humans that night.

It was because of these reasons that she didn't want to give Aro the satisfaction of seeing her give in. She would never join them like that no matter what. So with stubborn determination she refused to feed. It could have been so easy to go out and hunt without any of them ever knowing. But then she would be giving in and he would have won. Even if he never knew, she would.

So after the fourth week of not feeding she began to feel the tell-tale signs of hunger starting. Her throat grew tighter and began to burn, her eyes grew darker until now they were completely black. Her magic was becoming unruly, she was having difficulties in taking her mind off the hunger she was feeling, and found she couldn't concentrate enough on casting basic spells and charms. Her skin began to tingle and now it felt as though it was on fire, burning her alive. Every movement she made intensified the pain even more.

Not only was her entire body in agony, but she felt like she was beginning to lose her mind. She couldn't focus, she was hearing voices in her head, and was seeing things she knew couldn't possibly be there. Like the vision of Severus standing beside her, he had been comforting her saying that she was being foolish and should feed. Hermione had pleaded with him to understand but he didn't listen. Instead he gave her a sad look and told her that he couldn't watch her do this to herself. He couldn't stand by and watch another woman that he loved die. And then he left her, or rather the vision of him simply disappeared. The pain that tore through her body then wasn't just a physical pain, but also the emotional pain of having Severus leave her. But the logical part of her brain, that was still working then taunted her, reminding her that she had done the same thing to him not that long ago.

Severus had not been the only hallucination she had. At one point Aro had been there as well. He had stood with a triumphant smile on his face gloating at her. His eyes sparkling with glee as he teased and taunted her.

"You will not win this battle Hermione. Stop pretending and give in to your needs." He had said.

"No." She had hissed out through clenched teeth. "Never."

The Aro hallucination flung his head back and laughed at her. Something the real Aro would never do. He was too elegant and sophisticated for such an action.

"So proud and so stubborn Hermione, but you must realise this will break you mio caro. The pain will be too much and soon your basic needs will take over. You will kill." The Aro hallucination slowly walked over to her, a feral grin spreading across his face. "Join us now and end this pain. You know you want to. Imagine how it will feel when you clamp your mouth over a human neck, feeling the pulse beneath their skin. Imagine how it will taste when you first begin to suckle. Imagine how it will feel when the warm crimson liquid runs down your throat." Hermione did imagine what it would taste like and felt her throat constrict at the thought. Putting her hands to her neck she felt the burn and shut her eyes imagining all that he had just said. Without thinking, her tongue darted out and licked her top lip as she imagined the taste. The need became all too much then. She needed to taste it. She wanted to taste it. Memories of what Severus had tasted like fuelled this need, making her crave more. "Yes." Aro said with giddy glee. "Give in. Embrace what you are. Join us for it is inevitable."

Just when she went to agree with him, the hallucination version of Severus appeared, standing at the opposite end of the room.

"No Hermione, don't do it. Don't let him win. That is not you." He pleaded.

Hermione shook her head, tears running down her cheeks.

"Maybe it is Severus. Maybe this is me now."

Severus took a step closer to her, his gaze never leaving hers.

"No it's not. Hermione. You saved the Wizarding world from the Dark Lord. You put them before yourself. That is you. Not this."

"He is lying Hermione." The Aro hallucination said. His triumphant smile fading. "You are a vampire now not a witch. Join us, be who you are meant to be. Be mine." He held out his hand to her and for a brief moment Hermione considered taking it.

"Don't." The Severus hallucination said. "You are Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of your time. The one who saved the Wizarding world. The one who saved Harry, Dumbledore, Remus, Dora, me. Remember who you are. Fight this."

Hermione let out an ear piercing scream as confusion and pain engulfed her.

"No, I am not that girl anymore." She said to Severus before turning her gaze to Aro. "And I will never be that kind of vampire." As she spoke those words the two hallucinations began to fade into thin air. And although she still felt as though her body was being tortured by fire, the pain eased off a little making her thoughts more coherent.

So with her thoughts slightly clearer, she had to escape her quarters for a while and so left to go into the dome room with Dante. She was able to write letters to Remus and Dumbledore and send them off, without anyone stopping her. She was quick to leave whenever she saw a member of the guard come close to her. She didn't want to see anyone or speak to anyone. Not while she was weak like this.

These brief moments of respite from her mind were enough at the beginning, but now she knew she needed more. She knew that at some point the hunger and pain was going to drive her to leave the Palazzo and go out hunting. It was only a matter of time. She wouldn't be able to leave during the day, for smelling the scent of a human and hearing the beating of their hearts might prove too much a temptation for her and cause her to snap. She would never forgive herself if she fed from a human, a muggle. So she would leave under the cover of darkness and look for food then. Even though she knew it was giving Aro what he wanted she couldn't last much longer. Her control was slipping, her mind was slipping, and her magic could not be controlled. She was bordering on being dangerous. One small emotional outburst could cause her magic to erupt from her, and despite everything she couldn't let that happen.

So she formulated a plan in her mind. She would use the pretence of letting Dante out, he didn't mind flying in the dark after all. Then when she disappeared instead of going back to her room like she normally did, she would sneak outside and go hunting. Hopefully she wouldn't see anyone in the process. Her levels of control were stretching and she had only one chance at doing this, so she had to do it right.

Hermione was glad that she had a watch otherwise she would have no clue what time of day it was. Her quarters were always dim because of the fact they were situated below ground level. And because she wasn't allowed out of the Palazzo she was slowly forgetting what the bright outside world looked like. Was this how Severus felt living down in the dungeons of Hogwarts for all those years? She wondered, before slowly pushing that thought out of her mind. It wouldn't do well to think of such things at the moment. She needed all her concentration and focus on the task at hand. So she waited for night time to fall, to a time that hopefully most of the vampires would be in their quarters and began to carry out her plan.

"Come Dante let's get you outside where you belong." She stroked his smooth head with two of her fingers and sighed. Dante was lucky he had the freedom to go outside and spread his wings. How she wished she could do that. With that they disappeared landing in the dome room.

The moment they appeared something felt wrong and when she turned to look around, she saw Aro sitting there alone on his throne, as if he had been waiting for her.

"Hello Hermione, I've been wondering when you would show up." His voice was velvety soft, and if she didn't know any better she would have sworn that she could detect a note of concern in his tone.

He didn't have the chance to say anything else as she glowered at him before releasing Dante into the air. Normally she would stand and watch him depart but this time, because of Aro's presence she didn't. Instead she disappeared from sight and silenced herself, but did not head straight back to her room like she usually did.

Hermione had not expected to see Aro tonight, she especially did not expect him to be waiting for her, and so was taken aback by his presence. The moment they had locked eyes her whole body tingled, which had nothing to do with her hunger and everything to do with the connection they shared. In that moment she wanted to be close to him, she wanted to feel his presence and hear his voice. But again stubborn pride would not let her beg, and beg she would have done. She hated the fact that she could not escape that feeling. There was nothing she could do to prevent it.

So she hid herself from sight and watched, expecting him to leave after she had. But he didn't. Instead he called for Caius who appeared, his focus firmly on Dante. She watched curiously as Caius called Dante to him, and then watched as Dante flew above his head once before landing on his shoulder.

"Good boy." Caius said with a smile stroking the bird slowly and carefully.

"Excellent, let's hope our plan works." Aro said leaving the note for Hermione before they departed the room.

Hermione felt her anger bubbling to the surface as she made her way over to the note and read. It told her that Dante would be in the private quarters of the leaders and if she wanted him back she was to go there. It also said that she wasn't to worry only Marcus would be there waiting. Scrunching the note in her fist, she dropped it to the ground then headed to the private quarters of the three Volturi leaders. Not caring that she was giving them exactly what they wanted.

Arriving at the door she didn't quietly knock. No she was far too angry for that. Instead a burst of wandless magic escaped blowing the door open from its hinges, causing a loud bang to echo through the stone halls. Stepping into the room she cancelled both the disillusionment spell and the silencing spell, before letting her glare travel around the room.

True to the little piece of prior knowledge she had overheard before coming here, she was both glad and a little saddened to see that neither Caius nor Aro were there. Then cursed herself for feeling such things. Instead she turned her glare towards Marcus, who simply studied her with an impassive face. Dante sat quiet and still on his shoulders, showing no signs of being affected by the loud bang.

"What they hell do you think you are doing?" Hermione yelled looking from Marcus to Dante then back again.

After having taken in every bit of Hermione, the only things Marcus could see of her struggles, were her darkened eyes that seemed to glow with fire and rage and her slightly unkempt appearance. Apart from that she seemed remarkably well for someone who had not fed in 6 weeks, perhaps even longer for they didn't know exactly when the last time she actually fed was. Her magic, now that he was face to face with her, was intimidating. The air crackled around her, more so now than ever before. Even her hair seemed to come to life with it. She was terrifying to behold in this situation and he knew at once that he had to diffuse it quickly.

"Ahh Hermione I am so glad that you could come at such short notice. I am equally glad that you choose to blow up the door instead of me. I am extremely grateful for that." And he was for things could have gone very wrong very quickly.

"What am I doing here?" She asked, her body looking like it was suddenly going into the defensive position. She looked as if she was in fight or flight mode and if her stance meant anything, it said she would choose to fight. So Marcus had to act with caution. He could not afford to upset her anymore.

"Please Hermione take a seat so that we can talk for a moment. I promise it won't take long." He said, his voice slow and soft. He hoped that he sounded sincere.

Her stance did not change except for the slight relaxing of her shoulders. Good, he thought that was an excellent sign, the fact that she was prepared to listen.

"If you don't mind I would prefer to stand." She replied.

Marcus gave a small smile and nodded his head. Again the fact that she did not refuse to speak or listen, showed that she was prepared to stay.

"Hermione we are incredibly concerned about you. I know how hard it has been these last few weeks, and believe me when I say that we have all noticed the change. But I want to beg you to please reconsider things. Stop this now before they escalate any further."

Hermione smiled, something that looked between a smile and a sneer anyway.

"I think we are well beyond that stage Marcus, and I won't give in. Not to you and certainly not to Aro." She said lifting her head up defiantly to look at him.

He really did admire her strength and passion, she was so unlike anything he had ever seen before, and more terrifying than anything he had seen either.

He sighed wearily then said,

"Please Hermione. This isn't just about you or Aro. The whole coven can feel the charge of your magic, there is fear and unrest amongst the guard members. If you can't end this for you then please end it for their sakes." He rose to his feet and walked towards her, showing no signs of fear or hesitancy. "Ending it does not make you are weak Hermione. We can all see how strong you've been. How strong you still are."

Hermione gazed at him for a moment. There was something in the way that he spoke and moved which reminded her very much of Albus Dumbledore, and for some reason she felt comforted by his words instead of the previous anger she had felt. But still she would not give in so easily.

"So you approve of what Aro done then? You approve of the fact that he showed me that horrendous scene knowing my past? I can't be the vampire he wants me to be, and yet he pushes it. To hell with whatever I want, this is all about him and what he wants." She stood up taller and gazed at him. "Is it not enough that I gave up my life to come here, that I gave up my friends and family. Will he not be content until I give up my soul as well?" Her voice grew quiet as she spoke, the sadness and exhaustion at fighting this battle finally breaking the last of her spirit.

Marcus put a hand gently on her shoulder and watched her flinch slightly. But she did not pull away from his touch.

"Do I agree with what my brother did? The truthful answer to that is no I don't. He should never have put you in that position Hermione, and I regret that he did. But at the same time you must understand that this has been our way of life for thousands of years, it is ingrained in us. There will come a point when you will not always agree with what we do, I can guarantee that this will not be the first or last time you don't like something we do. But you must forgive us these things. If you can't understand them then that's fine, but try to remember this is our way of life. We do these things for a reason. That however does not excuse my brother's behaviour towards you." He sighed again then said. "As for my brother he should not push our ways onto you, and should accept your own views. You are special Hermione, you are unique and the sooner my brother realises that the better, for all of us."

Hermione had been listening intently to his words. He really was a lot like Albus Dumbledore and for that she was incredibly grateful. She studied his eyes and face looking for any signs of dishonesty or to see if he was taunting her, but she saw signs of neither one of these things. Instead all that she saw was honesty and respect. Feeling the last of her resolve crumble, she surprised them both when she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a fierce hug.

Momentarily stunned by her actions, Marcus returned the hug and almost at once felt the air begin to thin with all the pent up tension. Not only that but he saw the shift in their previous relationship. Another bond was forming, as trust had now been established between them.

She pulled away from him, surprising him further when he saw a single tear trickle down her cheek. Vampires did not cry like that, they appeared cold and unfeeling. But then again vampires did not have a beating heart either.

"Thank you so much Marcus. I promise I will do my best to react better in the future." She whispered.

He smiled at her and gently wiped the tear away with the pad of his thumb.

"You truly are amazing Hermione and we are so lucky to have you here. I promise to look out for you better."

Hermione smiled and kissed his cheek fondly.

"I would appreciate that."

Their moment of bonding was suddenly interrupted by someone clearing their throat behind them. Turning to face the intruder, she saw Demetri standing there, that familiar grin on his face.

"Good to have you back." He said, nodding his head towards Hermione.

"Good to be back." She replied and for the first time in weeks, had a genuine smile on her face.

"You know what will be much better though, if I could get rid of this damn beast once and for all." He tugged on a piece of rope that Hermione hadn't noticed before, and watched with a stunned expression as he brought a large cow into the room. "Dinner is served." He smiled and watched Hermione's expression grow hungry at the sight.

She turned to look at Marcus for approval, and when he nodded his head for her to go ahead, she descended on the cow with vigour, moaning with delight at the first taste of the warm metallic liquid.

From outside the room Aro and Caius watched from a safe distance, satisfied smiles upon their faces, as peace and harmony was once again restored in the Palazzo dei Priori.

* * *

Back at Hogwarts Albus Dumbledore sat at his large desk, a concerned look upon his weary face as he read the two different letters he had received from Hermione. The first one he received wasn't too bad, but the second one sounded erratic. He was more concerned about the things she didn't say than the things she did say. And he wasn't the only one.

Remus Lupin had also received two letters from Hermione, and had also came to the same conclusion as he did. Remus still considered Hermione as his best friend, so he took his concerns first to Severus, which had been a huge mistake. And then to Dumbledore. Now the three of them were in Dumbledore's office discussing the matters at hand.

He and Remus sat calmly, if a little reserved, at the desk while Severus paced back and forth, a frown on his pale face.

"What do you think we should do about it Albus? Obviously something has happened to cause Hermione to act this way. We can't just leave her like this?" Remus said, his voice full of concern. They all knew Hermione well enough, she was the logical one and was always calm in every situation that she came across. These letters didn't sound like her at all, and that's what had them so concerned.

"I agree Remus we can't leave her like that." Dumbledore said, running his hand over his long beard. "Which is why I am going to Volterra to check on our witch."

Severus instantly stopped pacing as soon as he heard Dumbledore's words, turning on the spot, his robes billowing behind he looked at the Headmaster, his eyes intense with fury and fear.

"If you are going then so am I." He said calmly, almost too calmly.

"Me too." Remus said. To hell with being in a room full of bloodthirsty vampires. Hermione was more important than that.

Dumbledore rose to his feet, having just scribbled a quick note to Kingsley, the Minister of Magic. Tying it on Fawkes leg he said,

"Take this to Kingsley Shacklebolt at once. Quick as you can, and wait for a reply." Opening the window he watched as Fawkes disappeared into the night sky before turning to look at the two men before him. "As much as it pleases me to see your obvious concern for Hermione, I must decline your offers to accompany me. Remus it is far too dangerous for you. We cannot risk your life." He said pointedly, after all in a few months' time he was going to be a father. The risk of him being harmed, because he was a wolf, was too great a risk to take. "And Severus it would not do you well to see Hermione." He was speaking of his emotions clouding his judgement.

Severus slammed his hands against the desk and sneered at the headmaster.

"She is the woman that I love and if she is in trouble then I wish to be there." He said, his voice intense with fury.

"That is exactly why I do not wish you to be there. I will go on my own at that is final." Dumbledore replied, his voice dismissing any more arguments.

"Fine." Severus said before storming out the office, slamming the door behind him and causing several of the portraits to shake.

"Insolence." Phineas Black grumbled, along with several muttered agreements from the other portraits.

Dumbledore sighed as he sat back down at his desk. He wished that Severus could understand why it would do more harm than good him being there. He had to realise that the relationship between him and Hermione would never work. But Severus wouldn't allow himself to see that.

"Don't worry about him Albus, he will come around eventually." Remus said sadly, knowing how much his friend was hurting.

"Let's hope you're right Remus." He said with a heavy sigh.

"In the meantime." Remus said leaning forward. "Go check on our witch."

Dumbledore nodded his head in agreement. He had things to plan before he ventured off to Volterra and hoped that Hermione was alright. She might be living there now, but she was still one of them and this was still her home. He would have no objections in carrying her back here where she belonged, if he felt that she was in any danger.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

The atmosphere in the Palazzo dei Priori was so different compared to what it had been only four days prior. Hermione was back to her normal self since she had fed and was no longer starving herself to prove a point. Her magic could no longer be felt in the air, so it was calm and peaceful and just the way it should be.

Although she had made amends with Marcus and Caius, Hermione still had problems facing Aro. Whenever she had to be in the same room as him, she tried to avoid him as much as possible. The last thing she wanted to see was his smug gloating face, as he looked at her in triumph. Although after what had happened neither of them had won anything, as she had given in and fed without his permission, and she had not succumbed to the temptation of feeding from a human being. So he had not gotten her to be like them. Luckily for Hermione however, she didn't have to see him as much since Marcus had now taken her under his wing.

Since their talk that day, things had changed between their relationship, he reminded her so much of Albus Dumbledore that she couldn't help but like him and feel comfortable around him. He had a calming influence on her, and she felt like she could talk easily with him. There was still a part of her that was wary, that wouldn't quite trust him completely, but things were still early and wouldn't change overnight. Progress had been made however, which was a good start.

She also found that she got on well with Caius but unlike with Marcus, his relationship with Hermione would take a little bit more time and effort. The trust was not quite established between them yet.

As for the Volturi guard, once everything was back to normal and they began to relax more in her presence, she actually found that she got on well with some of them. She enjoyed talking with Chelsea about fashion and more girly things, which had surprised even Hermione. If Ginny had been here to see her so interested in such topics, she would have been so proud of her friend. But she wasn't here. She also got to understand Chelsea's power better and realised just how important she was to the Volturi guard. She kept them bound and loyal to the coven, and to Aro's leadership. Without her, Hermione wondered just how many of the guard members would actually be a member of the Volturi.

Right from the very start she had grown to like Demetri and Felix. They were like two loveable rogues, and reminded her so much of Harry and Ron during their earlier days. They were funny, mischievous and brought out Hermione's more playful side. They taunted and teased her but deep down she knew it was in jest and that they were actually good people. She also got to learn more about their roles in the Volturi.

Felix didn't have any active powers as such, but what he lacked in that he made up for in strength and in his combat skills. He was the most physically powerful of all the vampires and so made for a formidable adversary. His strength made him a high ranking member of the guard and he was undefeated in the vampire world.

Demetri had the power to track other vampires through their minds and so was able to locate enemies of the Volturi quite easily. He was able to track any vampire anywhere around the world, making no-one safe. So usually when Aro was brought information of lawbreakers, it was Demetri and a select few others, who went out to retrieve the guilty vampire bringing them back to stand in front of the Volturi leaders for punishment.

She never really got to spend much time with Aro or Caius's wives for they were either locked up in their tower with Corin, who Hermione hadn't properly met yet, or were standing by their husband's sides. The little interactions they did have were pleasant enough. Both Sulpicia and Athenodora had taken a curious liking to her and asked non-stop questions about her life in the Wizarding world. They were polite in their asking making it seem less like an integration and more like just a curious fascination. She learned that neither of the two wives had a power of their own, unlike Didyme who had been Marcus's wife and Aro's biological sister. She had the power to make others happy. This information had surprised Hermione. She knew that the leaders were not actual brothers, but simply referred to themselves as that. But she had no idea that Aro had a sister and that he had been the one who had turned her.

Other members that she had met were Ashton, who was Chelsea's mate and Heidi. She had of course seen Heidi on that fateful day but didn't have the chance to get to know her then. Now the three of them often spent time together and during that time Hermione had learned all about Heidi's power, which at first left her feeling sick.

Heidi was exceptionally beautiful, more so than anyone Hermione had ever met. She had long wavy mahogany hair, was tall and slender, and always dressed impeccably to heighten her beauty. Her job in the Volturi guard was to attract and lure humans to Volterra, for the Volturi to feed off of.

After learning that piece of information Hermione now understood why it had been Heidi who had escorted the group of tourists into the dome room that day. She had the power to attract others to her, and so was able to leave no blood trail behind. What Hermione hadn't noticed that day was Heidi's eyes. She couldn't possibly go and attract humans when her eyes were an eerie red colour. So she wore a pair of blue contact lenses turning her eyes into a mesmerising violet colour. Humans could not resist her.

Despite her power of attraction and being incredibly beautiful Heidi didn't have a mate. She had a few dalliances with male vampires who couldn't resist her, but hadn't found her one. At least not one who could look beyond her beauty and attraction and see the bright intelligent woman that she was.

When Hermione was told about Heidi's power she felt physically ill, when she thought of all the innocent humans who had been lured here without even knowing it was happening. She tried to push the nauseating feeling down when she thought about what Marcus had said to her. There would be times that she would hear things that she didn't like or understand, but she had to remain open minded. This was their way of life, and the reason they fed this way was so that they weren't exposed to the human world. She could understand that, but that didn't mean she had to like it. So she jokingly said that Heidi was the pied piper in the vampire world.

Despite the fact that she was beginning to get to know everyone better, there were still two people who avoided her like the plague and they were of course Jane and Alec. Hermione found out that not only were they brother and sister, but they were also twins. The other piece of information that Hermione didn't know about them, and found the most interesting thing of all, was that when they were growing up, bad things seemed to happen to those who were rude and unpleasant to them. And good things seemed to happen to those who were nice and considerate. Because of this the people that lived in the same village as them accused them of witchcraft, despite the fact that they were only twelve years old.

Aro had heard all about them and had been keeping an eye on them and when he heard about their execution, he had almost been too late. When the Volturi arrived at the village they had already been tied up and set on fire. So the Volturi had wiped out the whole village and were able to save Jane and Alec but not before they had sustained some agonising burns to their bodies. Luckily Aro had infected them with his venom in time to turn them.

Hermione couldn't help but feel sorry for them, after all in the Wizarding world they all knew about the Witch hunts and all the trials that killed thousands of innocent people. That was why they devised the International Secrecy Law, so that the humans or muggles didn't find out about their world, causing more witch trials. So she understood why Aro didn't want to risk exposure and how this law was so important to him.

No-one knew if the powers Jane and Alec had were magical powers, from what Hermione had been told it didn't sound like the same as her magic. So maybe they were an early manifestation of what their powers were to become. It was understandable that after they had turned they developed the powers that they did.

While Jane had been burning at the stake, she had focused on the pain of burning alive and the anger she felt at those who had decided to take her life. And so when her power had developed it caused an individual to feel agonising pain, it was as if they were burning from the inside out.

Alec's power was the complete opposite to Jane's. It was said that while he was burning on the stake, he was trying to escape the pain. So when his power had developed, it caused the individual's senses to be cut off, making them feel nothing at all.

Hermione found all of this interesting of course, as she soaked up all this new knowledge like a sponge. And it was because of this that made her look more closely at herself and her own powers. So far she still had her abilities as a witch, there was nothing new there, except for her skills had sharpened. The powers that she had now, but didn't have before was the power to absorb another's, to enhance it and use it against them. It was almost as if she was karma, taking what people were throwing at her, but giving it back bigger and badder than before.

During the time she had been bitten she had been engaged in battle with Dolohov. She had been fighting as best as she could, but in the end he had won by cursing her, causing her to become unconscious on the ground. She wondered if that whole situation had influenced her own power. Making sure that when she was engaged in battle and was up against a stronger opponent, she would not be so easily defeated by using her opponent's strength against them and enhancing it. She would save this information for when she next saw Marcus and could ask him his thoughts and opinions on her theory.

Hermione didn't have to wait too long until she saw him. Now that Marcus had fully taken her under his wing, it would be him who taught her the ways of the Volturi instead of Aro, as what had been originally planned. She trusted him more than she did Aro and was glad of this change.

So four days after she had stopped starving herself and had returned back to normal, she had been scheduled in to meet Marcus for her first lesson. Saying that she was excited about this was an understatement. She couldn't wait to be learning and so had packed her beaded bag with pens, instead of ink and quills for she no longer needed to use those, and a fresh new notebook instead of parchment. As much as she loved the smell of parchment there was something special about the smell of an unused notebook. It reminded her so much of being at school, before her time at Hogwarts, when she thought that she was still a normal girl.

Once all her things were packed she headed into the bathroom to shower and dress for the day. Afterwards she was far too excited to sit and read so she paced around her quarters and waited until it was time. Just as scheduled a knock came at her door for her to be escorted to Marcus's own private quarters and not the ones he shared with his brothers.

Opening the door wide she grinned at Demetri who stood in his customary position, leaning against the door frame with a small smile playing at the corners of his lips.

"Hello my little witchling and how are you today?" He teased. For some reason him and Felix decided to give her the nickname of little witchling, not that she minded it. She actually liked it and preferred it better than Mione. She had always hated her name being shortened, to her that was more an insult than a nickname but didn't want to say that to the boys in case she upset them. Little witchling was incredibly cute and fitting, and she could handle that.

She rolled her eyes at him, feigning exasperation, but couldn't hide the smile from him for too long.

"Honestly what are you like?" She laughed.

He grinned at her mischievously as he took her hand placing it on his arm. He waited patiently for her to lock and ward her room like normal before saying,

"I'm tall and devilishly handsome with amazing hair and a great personality, who is also utterly amazing in bed." He grinned again when Hermione chuckled at him, playfully punching his arm.

"I know what you're not and that's modest anyway." She laughed. "And I really don't want to know what you're like in bed thank you very much." She smiled.

He stopped them in their tracks and lifted his eyebrow at her teasingly.

"Are you sure, I could always show you and prove it." He teased.

She huffed playfully and punched his arm again, while at the same time the door to Aro's quarters opened and he stepped out with Sulpicia in tow. It was obvious to her what they had been up to, and was glad that she still had the sense to put up silencing charms.

"Oh good morning to you both I hope you're well." Sulpicia smiled, her gaze darting from Demetri to Hermione, an unasked question shining brightly in her eyes.

"We are thank you." Demetri said with a slight bow of his head. "I am just escorting my little witchling here to Marcus's quarters." He said with a grin.

Hermione nudged him slightly as she looked down at her feet, trying to hide the mischievous smile when she realised what he was up to.

"Your little witchling." Sulpicia said with a genuine smile. "Very suitable name."

Hermione chanced a glance at Aro who would have seemed totally impassive towards the conversation if it wasn't for the stiffness in his back betraying his feelings.

Good Hermione thought almost like a petulant child.

"I was just saying to Hermione how I planned on proving to her just how amazing I am in bed." He teased, causing Hermione to laugh with sheer embarrassment.

Sulpicia burst out laughing while Aro's nostrils flared in anger and jealousy.

"I do not think we need to know about that conversation Demetri." He said with a slight frown, not wanting everyone to know about the rage that was consuming him at the mere thought of Demetri and _his_ mate, indulging in the most carnal of pleasures. "Now I believe you were taking Hermione to Marcus's quarters. You better hurry before she is late. He will not be pleased since this is her first day." With that Aro turned his back on them, instantly dismissing them before bending his head to lay a chaste kiss on his wife's lips. He was not above such petty behaviour when it concerned Hermione, and he wanted her to feel some of what he felt. Even if it was just a small stab of jealousy.

Demetri smiled down at Hermione before leading her away, neither one looking back as they made their way down the corridor. When they were out of sight, Sulpicia turned around to face Aro, a small smile gracing her beautiful face.

"I must say my beloved, I didn't believe Hermione would fit in here at first. But now…" She turned back to look down the hall where the couple had just been and smiled. "I think she will fit in just fine. Maybe she will be able to move on from that wizard, Demetri appears agreeable and if I'm not mistaken Hermione looks like someone who is smitten."

Aro had to stop himself from launching a verbal assault on his wife. He wanted the whole coven to know that Hermione was _his_ and no-one else's. He wanted to claim her and make her his. He wanted her to forget about the dark wizard, forget about Demetri or any other males, but he couldn't. Not yet. Not until she had accepted what they were. Instead he calmed his anger and guided her away from his quarters.

"Perhaps my dear, we can only watch and see what happens."

Meanwhile Hermione and Demetri raced to Marcus's quarters in fits of laughter.

"I can't believe you just said that in front of Aro." Hermione laughed pleased that Demetri had fooled them both.

"It was only some fun my little witchling. No need to worry, these aren't things he hasn't heard before and besides you are safe from my wicked clutches."

Hermione looked at him curiously for a moment but when he didn't elaborate further she nudged him slightly.

"Demetri are you having a secret dalliance with someone." She smiled. She liked Demetri and enjoyed his company but did not think of him in a romantic way. She had enough to think about with Severus and Aro and had no room for anyone else. But she did see him as a friend, perhaps even a brother, the same way she had thought of Ron and Harry at one point.

He looked at her almost shyly then said,

"I do but if you don't mind I am not ready to disclose that piece of information yet. Especially not out here where we may be heard. I haven't told the others yet and I don't know how they will take it." He sighed before saying, "They can be quite funny when it comes to things like this."

Hermione smiled reassuringly at him before taking his hand in hers and giving it an affectionate squeeze.

"Honestly Demetri I promise not to mention anything and I swear if you do decide to tell me, it will be with the strictest of confidence. I see you as my first real friend here in Volterra I won't ruin that."

Demetri felt his whole body relax and was glad that she was so understanding and not pushing him to know more. He knew that she was someone special, someone who he could class as a real friend and not just merely another guard member. And it looked as though his intuition had been right.

"Thank you my little witchling, it means a lot to me. Anyway here is Marcus's quarters, I'm sure he will be eager to know that you have arrived safely and in one piece." He grinned, picking up Hermione's hand to kiss her knuckles gently. "I will hopefully see you later on." With a wink he dropped her hand back down gently before taking off, leaving Hermione standing in the middle of the corridor, a happy smile on her face.

Turning she knocked on the door once, before it opened and she was facing Marcus.

"Hello Hermione, I am pleased that you could make it. Won't you come inside and get settled." He moved back allowing Hermione to enter his quarters, as she did so she couldn't help but look around. His room seemed bigger than hers and more lavish without being garish. He had a large rug in the centre of the room next to a black leather couch and a beautiful pine table. He too had a large desk and chair hidden in the corner of the room. A crystal chandelier hung from the high ceiling, illuminating what would have been a dull room. Books upon books lined three of the four walls, from top to bottom, causing Hermione to gaze longingly at the sight. She would give anything to peruse Marcus's library, but shaking that thought from her head, she turned to face Marcus who simply stood watching her.

"I take it from your reaction that you're a book lover like me." He smiled at her but as always the smile did not reach his eyes. They were dead and unfeeling of any emotion except that of pure anguish. Her heart wanted to reach out to him, but she knew he would shy away from such a gesture.

"Yes I do love my books." She laughed. "Everyone always called me a bookworm back at school. I have what you would call an eidetic memory. I can memorise every word on every page and repeat it from memory."

His eyes widened at her admission as he smiled at her again.

"That is remarkable and you were able to do that before you were a vampire." It was not so much a question but a statement.

"Yeah, my professor or rather Severus always gave me a row for that though. He said not all knowledge came from books and that I lacked imagination." She smiled fondly as she thought of him, the sadness at not having him near paining her.

"Do you miss him?" Marcus asked gently, all too aware of what it felt like to lose the one you love. Although for Hermione it was different, she could always go back to Hogwarts and claim him back. Whereas he would never get Didyme back.

Hermione sat down on Marcus's couch without permission and nodded her head slowly.

"I do miss him, there's not a day that goes by when I don't think of him. But no matter how much it pains me to be away from him I know, deep down it would never have worked between us. Not while he remains a mortal."

Marcus nodded sitting himself beside her.

"Ahh yes I quite understand that. Aro would never let you change him, well unless it benefitted him in some way."

Hermione turned to look at him, a confused look on her face.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked.

Marcus chuckled lightly then said,

"It goes against our laws, turning a magical person. You are the exception of the rule of course. But Aro only made that exception because of your powers." He wanted to add that she was also his mate but refrained, such an admission should not come from him. "If you didn't have any powers or talent I don't think Aro would have spared you."

Hermione frowned again at his words then asked,

"But I thought Aro was scared of the unknown? I thought that the whole reason witches and wizards weren't turned was because they were unpredictable and posed a threat."

Marcus was impressed by her way of thinking and gave her a small smile.

"That is true for everyone else but you. You see we had been watching you for a while and because of how well you were able to control your powers, this added to the reason why you were spared."

"So what has that got to do with Severus benefitting Aro?" She asked her eyebrows suddenly shooting upwards as she answered her own question. "Oh you mean if Severus showed some signs of having power and control of himself Aro wouldn't mind him being changed."

"Exactly. But unfortunately that is something we will never know unless he is changed."

Hermione turned her gaze away and thought his words through. So if Severus showed signs of power and control then he could be turned, but the only way to know that for sure was to turn him first. The positive to that scenario was that they could be together for eternity. The negative was that if he was turned and showed no signs of having any powers or control then his life would end without a moment's hesitation. Was she willing to take that risk, put his life on the line to fulfil her own selfish wants and needs? She had no doubt in her mind that if Severus knew this he wouldn't hesitate in risking himself, if he thought they could be together. He had asked her once before to change him but she had declined then. Would she still decline him now? The answer to that was a simple yes. She could never risk Severus's life on the slim chance that he would fit in with Aro's expectations of being a vampire. He was far too precious to her to risk. Even then knowing how Aro was, she knew he would never allow Severus to be turned anyway. It was an impossible dream and as much as Hermione wanted it to be true, she just couldn't lose Severus completely.

"I would never ask him to change for me. I could never chance that no matter how much our separation pains us both. The thought of being in the world without him, knowing that I had caused his death." She shook her head sadly. "I couldn't bare that."

Marcus studied the girl quietly. While she had been thinking about his words he had sensed the bond that she shared with the wizard. She loved him deeply and shared something unique with him, of that he had no doubts. They reminded him so much of him and Didyme. They too had been deeply in love with each other and shared something, so very special and powerful. But it had all come to a sudden end when she was murdered. His world had ended that day, much like his existence. He was nothing without her by his side. Like Hermione had said being in a world without the one you loved because of death separating them, was the most painful heart wrenching pain he had ever felt. He would not wish to see that happen to anyone else, and could understand Hermione's reasoning. But sooner or later she would have to one day face that reality, as her wizard would not be alive forever.

Clearing his mind of such thoughts he changed the subject finally to the reason why she was here in the first place, to learn all about the Volturi and the coven's history.

"Alright I think that is quite enough of that for one day. Let us begin your lesson." He watched with an amused expression as Hermione delved into her small black bag and pulled out a notebook and several different coloured pens. She was probably one of the most eager and enthusiastic pupils he had ever taught. Suppressing a chuckle he said, "Before we discuss the Volturi's history I think it's important that you first learn should be about our laws." He watched as Hermione opened her book and went to put pen to paper before she could however, he quickly stopped her. She turned wide eyes up to him as he said, "As you know one of our laws is to keep our world a secret from humans, so for that reason our laws must not be written down. To do so would leave evidence of our existence behind."

Hermione quickly put her notebook and pen down on the table before turning her attention back to Marcus.

"How are vampires made aware of the laws then, if there is no written law for them to see?" She asked curiously.

"We have other senses bar our sight Hermione?"

She thought on this for a moment before quickly saying,

"So the laws are passed by word of mouth, down through other vampires. What if some vampires don't have any contact with others, what then?"

Marcus was intrigued by her inquisitive nature and the way her mind worked. It was logical and practical, as she focused on all the different aspects of things.

"Vampires will always come into contact with others but I'm glad you asked this because it moves on to our second law. The creator of a newborn vampire is responsible for teaching them all about our ways including our laws. They must teach a newborn how to act, how to hunt and how to behave without drawing unnecessary attention to themselves. If they fail then both the creator and the newborn shall face death."

Hermione suddenly thought of her creator Sanguini, someone she had thought was her friend. He hadn't even told her it was him who had turned her, not until very near the end. He had left her to her own devices putting herself and others in danger. She should have been angry at him, hell she had been angry at him for a while, but right before his death she had forgiven him.

"Why is there some information on vampires then, even if it is wrong? I mean when I was a little girl, before I even knew about the magical world, I read books on Dracula and vampires and they were always the same. Vampires couldn't stand out in the sunlight or they would turn to ash. They couldn't stand the smell of garlic and Holy water burned their skin. Also the only way to kill a vampire was by driving a stake through their heart. Obviously that's wrong. So if vampires are supposed to stay hidden from view of humans, then how do humans have that information?"

Marcus smiled then said,

"Think about it Hermione obviously some humans have been aware of vampires living amongst them, but don't know all the facts. So they let their imaginations run free and fill in the blanks for themselves."

"That's interesting." She replied truthfully before saying, "So far the laws I have learned are- secrecy in the vampire world is key, and anyone who breaks that faces death. You aren't allowed to document the laws because of the secrecy law. A creator has to take full responsibility of a newborn and teach them the ways of the vampire world before they can go out on their own. And of course no magical person should ever be turned, me being the one exception." She said with a laugh, as she finished recapping everything she had learned so far.

"That is very good." He said, seeing her preen at his praise. "Now from everything you have just told me, can you think of any other possible laws?" He said wanting to see how much she could figure out for herself.

She thought long and hard about his question, letting her mind go over everything they had both just said. When the answer came to her, she had to physically stop her hand from going up in the air. This was not a classroom she was in, so she didn't need to constantly wave her hand in the air to get the teacher's attention. She just imagined what Severus would say to her if she told him of this urge. Some habits die hard, she thought.

"Well an obvious one would be that vampires shouldn't have any contact with humans at all. It is far too dangerous and would risk exposure."

"Good, good." Marcus said once again impressed with her logic. "And what do you think would happen if a human did find out about a vampire?"

She shivered involuntarily suddenly thinking of all those innocent humans who had died.

"Well they would probably be killed in order to silence them."

"That is true but there is also another option as well."

Hermione thought of the human secretaries the Volturi employed. They were beautiful young woman who knew about the Volturi and who wanted to become a vampire themselves. They came here so that they eventually would be changed. From what Demetri had said they had gone through quite a lot of secretaries over the years. It was seen as a test to see how intellectual they were. If Aro deemed them worthy, which was hardly ever, they would be turned and if not then they would become the next meal.

"They would be turned into a vampire as well." She said.

"That's right." Marcus said. "So can you think of anymore possible laws then?"

Hermione knew of a few more laws because of previous conversations she had heard from Caius and the Cullen's. She was rather enjoying being quizzed and had missed the mental stimulation of learning and being taught. During her last year at Hogwarts she had been helping Professor Slughorn as his assistant, and had missed being taught like everyone else in her year.

"Well I remember the Cullen's talking about Renesmee and how the Volturi believed her to be an immortal child. So I guess in order to keep this world a secret they cannot risk making young children into vampires, because they are unruly and will draw attention."

"Well done Hermione that is correct. The reason that law was made was because an immortal child had managed to destroy a whole village in just one short day. This has happened a few times over the years and so the law was passed forbidding anyone from making an immoral child. This law if broken is punishable by death."

Hermione thought of Jane and Alec, they had been mere children when they had been turned by Aro, so didn't that mean he had broken his own law.

"Forgive me for the question Marcus but Jane and Alec were only twelve years old I believe when they were turned. Doesn't that mean they are classed as being an immortal child?"

She was very perceptive and her logic was flawless, to say that Marcus was impressed by the way she thought was an understatement. He was enjoying her intelligent conversation and the way her thoughts were being processed. It was refreshing to him, she was refreshing to him.

"There is no need to forgive you Hermione, it is indeed a valid question. What you say is indeed true, anything under the age of sixteen is classed as being a child, and Aro lowered that age to suit his own needs. Because he had to intervene with Jane and Alec when they will still young he lowered the age to ten instead. They were too powerful for him to simply ignore."

That made sense in a way, but she hated the fact that Aro seemed to take liberties just because he was the main leader of the Volturi. He made the laws and expected everyone else to follow them and yet he was able to break them when it suited him. Moving on from this topic Hermione then said,

"I also know that because of Caius's dislike for children of the moon, any vampires associated with them were seen as committing treason. Me being the exception again. And then there's the law forbidding vampires from hunting in Volterra. I take it this isn't just specifically aimed at Volterra though." She said looking up at Marcus for signs that she was right. "I take it, it means that anywhere vampires reside they shouldn't hunt where they live so they don't draw attention to themselves."

"That is indeed correct, not only that but they must also relocate often so not to draw attention to the fact that they don't age. All of our laws revolve around keeping our world a secret. That is the most important thing to remember."

Everything that they had just spoken about would be filed and locked in her mind. She would adhere to these laws, just as she adhered to the rules back at Hogwarts, well most of the rules anyway. She found that her interest in the vampire world was growing more, and she was enjoying getting to learn about it. This was what she wanted, knowledge about this unknown world, not to be thrown in at the deep end and watch as a group of bloodthirsty vampires had breakfast.

"Marcus I know this isn't relevant to what we are currently discussing but there's something I wanted to ask you, about my powers." She said, her voice sounding quiet almost, as if she was embarrassed about asking.

He nodded for her to go ahead and then listened as she went over her theory with him. It was incredibly fascinating seeing her come to that conclusion. No-one seemed to understand why some vampires had powers while others didn't. It was also unknown as to why vampires had the powers that they had. But listening to Hermione's theory, he realised it was entirely plausible. So he listened until she had finished with her explanation then said,

"How amazing for you to come up with such a plausible example. None of us know how vampires develop these certain powers, but it could be possible that they are influenced by the situations they are in during the time they are bitten. I did of course know about Jane and Alec but never really linked their powers to their situation." He smiled at her again then said, "It is definitely a subject worth looking into."

Hermione could feel herself preening at his praise once again. Despite the fact she had changed a lot since she had turned, some of her was still the same Hermione Granger as before.

"It was just a thought." She said somewhat modestly.

"You truly are fascinating Hermione, your life and history is extraordinary and I would really like to learn more about you. As far as I'm aware, you went to boarding school for witches and wizards, your parents weren't magical and yet you were. They must have been incredibly shocked when they learned about you being a witch and even more shocked about you being turned into a vampire." He watched the pain and hurt flash across her face before she turned her head to look away from him. He heard her sniffle quietly as she struggled with her emotions. "Hermione what's wrong?" He asked careful not to push her if she didn't want to talk.

"I never told my parents about me becoming a vampire." She said quietly.

"Oh so you left to come here without them knowing." He asked.

She shook her head slowly, her glossy curls swaying with the gentle movement.

"No I left them without any knowledge of me whatsoever."

Marcus looked at her intently, not understanding her meaning.

"I'm sorry Hermione but I don't follow what you mean."

She sighed, a shaky noise as she struggled to contain herself.

"We were fighting the Dark Lord, someone who wanted to kill all muggles and because I was friends with the famous Harry Potter, and because of my role in the war it made my parents a target. I was also a coward and didn't want them to see me as a vampire, they had been through so much already that I didn't want to cause them anymore pain. So in order to protect them, I got Severus to obliviate their minds so that they couldn't remember me. They moved to Australia, happy and alive." Turning her head to look at him, her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "You see I didn't need to tell them anything about me because to them I didn't exist."

He frowned for a moment at her words before gently laying his large hand on top of her small one.

"Hermione I don't think you were being cowardly at all. I think that was a very brave and hard decision you had to make. You kept your parents safe despite the cost. It is an admirable thing to do." He squeezed her hand before pulling it away.

"Thank you Marcus. I'm just glad that they can get on with their lives now." She smiled sadly at him.

Marcus sat back against the chair deep in thought. His mind was reeling with all the information that she had just provided him. Curiously he asked,

"So when you say Severus obliviated them I take it you mean it was just their memories of you and not their whole mind."

She looked at him with a slight frown on her face, wondering where this conversation was heading.

"Yes that's right."

He sat rubbing his chin silently for a moment before asking,

"Can you obliviate someone's memory like that?"

"I can but I would need my wand to do that. I wouldn't like to try using wandless magic on the mind in case something went wrong." She said truthfully. Wandless magic, as good as it was, was unpredictable. "Why are you asking that?"

Marcus turned to her, his pain evident in his eyes.

"If I asked you to obliviate me, of all the memories I have of my beloved Didyme would you do it?" His expression was serious, he was not teasing her or joking.

Hermione suddenly sat bolt upright taking in his words.

"Why on earth would you want to do that for? It would leave an empty space in your mind where all her memories would have been. You would know something was missing but wouldn't know what it was. How could that possibly be what you want Marcus? Why would you want to forget about the woman you love?"

He sighed wearily then stood up, with his back turned to her he leaned against the fireplace with his head hung low.

"Didyme was my everything." He said his voice sounding sad and respectful as he thought of her. "From the moment that I saw her I knew she was my true mate. I was lucky to have found her and it didn't take us long to marry. We were so happy and in love and I felt like my world was complete with her by my side." He gave a small laugh then said, "They say that love conquers all but that is a lie. It doesn't. When you have it, it is the greatest thing in the world. But when you lose it." He sighed and shook his head slowly. "It is the hardest pain to live with. Knowing that you will never see their face again, or hear their voice. You will never feel their arms wrapped around you, or hear whispered words of love and devotion from their lips again." He finally turned to face her, suddenly looking so tired. "Every day that passes by is another painful reminder that she is not here. I wanted death to come and claim me after she had departed, but I wasn't good enough for death. And now every day I feel as though I am in purgatory." He sat beside her suddenly and pulled both of her hands in his. "Hermione you can take this pain away from me, you can finally free me from the depths of hell. I cannot miss what I cannot remember. Please I beg of you, at least consider it Hermione. Please." He pleaded.

"I-" She started but was suddenly interrupted by a hurried knocking at the door.

With a muttered curse he moved quickly off the couch to answer the door. Revealing a worried looking Chelsea standing there.

"Quickly Marcus there is an urgent situation that you need to attend too. It is of the utmost importance." Her eyes flickered over his shoulder to Hermione, before turning back to him.

"Very well then." He looked at Hermione then said, "Please stay here until I return, think about what I said and feel free to peruse the books. This hopefully won't take too long."

Without waiting on a reply, Marcus left his quarters and followed Chelsea to the dome room. While Hermione pondered Marcus's request. Could she obliviate his memories of Didyme? She wasn't sure and figured it would be best to write to Dumbledore and find out. Little did she know however, at that very moment, Albus Dumbledore was closer to her than she could have possibly imagined.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Everyone in the Wizarding world knew that Albus Dumbledore was not a wizard to be trifled with. Although he wore eccentric clothes and at times seemed a bit batty in the way he thought and acted, Dumbledore was still a formidable wizard.

In 1945 he had a legendary duel that lasted for three hours with Gellert Grindelwald, someone who Albus thought of as a friend when they were boys. They had been, up until a battle of wands between the two boys and Albus's brother Aberforth broke out, resulting in the accidental death of Albus's young sister Ariana when she tried to stop the duel between the three of them.

Grindelwald quickly fled the scene, ending his friendship with Albus. They did not see each other again after that, but Albus heard all about the goings on in the world. Grindelwald caused a World War and began to annihilate muggles, earning him the title of being the Darkest Wizard of all time. Public fear in the Wizarding world and in the Muggle world grew and everyone believed that Albus Dumbledore was the only one who could defeat Grindelwald after their shared history.

He had tried to shy away from his old friend and avoid any conflicts, but the stories of what the dark wizard was doing was too much, and Albus Dumbledore could no longer turn a blind eye to what was going on. So in 1945 the three-hour duel became Dumbledore's most famous moment in history, as the story of the incident quickly became one of legend. No-one knew then, that because Dumbledore had won the duel and defeated Grindelwald, sending him to prison, he had also earned the allegiance of the most famous and powerful wand in history, the Elder Wand.

It was because of this famous duel and his coloured past that propelled him to be called the most powerful wizard in the world. He was also the only wizard who Lord Voldemort feared the most.

Dumbledore's reputation was known throughout the Wizarding world, but it did not extend into the vampire world it seemed.

After he had discussed his concerns with Remus and Severus, he immediately sent a letter to Kingsley Shacklebolt asking for a portkey as soon as possible, quickly setting his plans into motion. Apparating to Volterra in Italy would not be possible, the distance was too great for just one apparition, so it meant he would have to apparate three or four times to get there instead. He didn't have the strength or power to travel such a distance by apparition so felt using a portkey was the best option. He also felt he needed all the strength and power that he had in order to face the Volturi. Dumbledore had no doubts that seeing Hermione would be easier said than done, and so he needed to be fully prepared for every situation, as he wasn't prepared to leave Volterra without seeing Hermione first. Of that he would make certain of.

So he arranged a safe place to stay in France courtesy of Lucius Malfoy who had heard about Dumbledore's plans and offered him the use of his French Chateau in Nice. It was on the French coast and close to the border of Italy, which made it easier to reach the town of Volterra where Hermione was staying. His reason for such generosity was because he owed Hermione so much after saving the lives of the Malfoys. He would never forget what she had done for them, and wanted to return some token of kindness in any way that he could.

Once everything was arranged Dumbledore had to wait the three days for the portkey to be made, which would take him straight to the Chateau. Once there he would get some rest, freshen up and get some food, before then apparating to the Palazzi dei Priori, the home of the Volturi.

He had read both Hermione's letters over and over again, knowing that something wasn't right with her. The first one sounded sad but sweet as she spoke about home and missing everyone. She hardly mentioned anything about the Volturi but spoke a lot about the Palazzo.

The second letter sounded erratic, not just in the tone of her words but also in the style of her writing. The letters didn't look like they even came from the same person and that was how he knew she wasn't right. No matter where in the world Hermione Granger was, Hogwarts would always be her home and the people she left behind would always love and care for her.

So that was how he found himself standing here, in front of the Palazzo dei Priori, as he watched the building. From what he could see no-one entered and no-one left the building. It almost looked as though it was empty. But when he cast the locator spell to find Hermione that was where it pointed him too. So if she was there then so too were the rest of the Volturi.

Dumbledore had cast a notice me not spell on himself, so that muggles wouldn't see him and wonder about his choice of bizarre clothing. He also didn't want to draw any attention to the home of the Volturi, as he didn't think they would thank him for that. And so he waited and watched patiently, and when the streets grew quieter because of the midday sun, Dumbledore finally made his move and entered through the doors of the Palazzo, taking him into unfamiliar territory. Although he did not walk in holding his wand, he kept it down his sleeve so that he could access it should anything go wrong. It was always best to be prepared, especially since he had no idea how the Volturi would receive him. He was walking into their world now, where different rules applied. He had to remain respectful, while showing them he was no coward and wouldn't accept no to seeing Hermione as an answer.

He walked slowly and cautiously through the stone hallway, his footsteps echoing against the cold floor. The light was dim and he couldn't see well but he still didn't want to take out his wand in case he appeared hostile. So instead he pulled out a small silver object, almost like a common cigarette lighter, from his robes and clicked it a couple of times turning lights on. This was his deluminator, something he had invented that could turn lights off or on. It was quite a handy little device, especially in times like this. Tucking it back into his robes, he walked further down the corridor listening for any sounds made by the residents who lived here. He could not afford to let his guard down. What would Alastor Moody say if he, the great Albus Dumbledore didn't have constant vigilance?

As he reached the end of the corridor Dumbledore looked both left and right, and to his great relief a woman sat at a large desk typing on a muggle computer. Dumbledore couldn't help but think how extraordinary it was seeing how ancient vampires had incorporated modern technology into their world. The Wizarding world was still far behind modern times lacking in gadgets and gizmos that he himself found truly fascinating. He could understand their world not having electronic technology, for electricity and high levels of magic did not go together. But incorporating such things as ballpoint pens instead of quills, or notebooks and normal paper instead of parchment, he couldn't understand. Heck wizards and witches still dressed as though they were in the olden days, they just didn't seem to want to modernize. And here he was walking into a coven of ancient vampires and the first thing he saw was a computer. How extraordinary indeed, he mused.

Slowly and quietly he walked towards the desk as he studied the woman in front. She didn't look like a vampire for she didn't look up at all when he grew closer to the desk, normally vampires had a wonderful sense of hearing and smell, but she gave no indication of having noticed him at all. Her complexion wasn't like Hermione's or the other vampires that he had seen briefly. This woman's skin was a lovely peach colour. Unfortunately he couldn't see her eyes, as her head was tilted to the other side and she was too busy studying the computer screen.

From his conclusions he guessed that she must be a human, not a vampire. If that was true then he wondered what on earth a human was doing here at the Palazzo working alongside a coven of vampires. Perhaps she didn't know vampires lived here?

Stopping just in front of the desk, when she still hadn't looked up to greet him, he cleared his throat quietly so not to startle her, but loud enough for her to hear. When she did finally notice, her face showed concern as she locked eyes with him and stood up briskly from her black leather chair.

"I'm sorry madam I didn't mean to frighten you, I just wondered if you could provide me with some information." His voice remained calm and steady, as he smiled warmly at her.

Straightening herself up, she glanced around them before picking out a flier and handing it to him.

"I'm sorry but you are a little late for the guided tour around the Palazzo dei Priori. Please take this leaflet and have a look, tomorrow you may come at the appropriate times." She smiled at him, trying to dismiss him at once, but Dumbledore didn't move.

Instead he smiled again then said,

"Ahh I do apologise for the misunderstanding, you see I am no tourist. I am here to see someone very special who resides in the Palazzo."

She gulped audibly, trying not to appear flustered in front of this eccentric old man.

"I'm sorry but no-one resides here in the Palazzo dei Priori it is simply a historical building." Although she spoke in perfect English, she had a thick Italian accent making her voice sound velvety smooth.

Albus Dumbledore smiled sweetly as he slowly entered her mind, garnering the information that he needed. If she knew nothing of the Volturi then he could simply obliviate her mind before going hunting for them himself. But luckily for him, she knew exactly what he wanted to know.

"I think you ought to call your three masters and let them know a guest has arrived, one who will not be leaving until he has had an audience with them. Thank you." He said dismissing her.

She moved over to a small intercom on the wall lifting up the receiver and began to speak in Italian.

" _Mi dispiace disturbarla, ma qualcune e qui per vedere I maestri_." She paused for a minute to listen to the voice on the other end of the phone before saying, " _Non conosco il suo nome_." The frustration, at the person on the other end, was evident on her face and in her voice, as she then said, " _Non posso, lui dice che non lascera fino a quando non parla con loro._ " She turned to face Dumbledore, covering the receiver as she said, "One moment please." Then listened intently to the other voice, nodding and agreeing into the phone. She smiled before hanging the receiver up and walked back towards her desk. "Someone will be up very shortly to meet you. Please sit down on one of the chairs and make yourself comfortable." She smiled, before taking her own advice and sitting down in her chair.

He didn't get to move a step before a set of wooden doors next to the desk were flung open and two young looking vampires stepped out. They looked at him briefly before recognition flickered through their eyes.

"I do believe we have met." The male vampire said, while the female vampire glared at the secretary.

"Perhaps you ought to be more informative about who exactly our guests are in future." The young female vampire said, still glaring at the secretary.

"I'm sorry I-" The secretary began to say but was quickly stopped by the female vampire.

"Silence." Jane said, her voice quiet but cold sounding. "What's done is done?" She turned to Dumbledore, her red eyes pinning him with such a venomous look. "Come, we mustn't keep the masters waiting now." With that she turned on her heels and walked the way she had come, the male vampire following closely behind.

As Dumbledore passed the female secretary, he glanced at her worried expression, and couldn't help but shoot her an apologetic look. He wondered what would happen to her now, no doubt she would end up like the other humans who came into contact with the Volturi vampires.

They walked in complete silence, the only sound they made was his feet against the stone floor. The vampires were so silent that if you closed your eyes and listened hard, you still wouldn't even know they were there.

The female seemed to be the one in control, as she stopped suddenly to press a button. The doors opened and the wizard and two vampires stepped inside. A fun little classical tune played, as the elevator descended down two levels, before the door opened again, making a little ding noise.

"Come." The female vampire said and once again both Dumbledore and the male vampire followed behind her. Down here it was much darker than it was upstairs and he couldn't risk pulling out his deluminator while the two vampires were here. So he simply followed behind blindly, until she opened up the large set of double doors.

"Ahh Jane dear and what have you brought us today." Aro's voice said, it was just as sweet and smug as Dumbledore remembered it.

"A wizard I believe." Jane quickly said before she and her brother moved away from their guest, introducing them to the rest of the room.

Dumbledore's gaze locked on with Aro's and he saw the brief panic flash across his face, as he slowly rose to his feet.

"What a surprise you are? Elizabeth did not state our guest was a wizard." Aro said, the anger evident in his voice.

"She will be disposed of appropriately." Felix said with a grin and a respectful bow of his head.

"Good." Aro turned to Chelsea and pointed for her to step forward.

"My dear would you please go and fetch my brother Marcus. I do believe that his presence would be most prudent here."

Chelsea nodded her head before leaving quickly to follow her orders.

"Now pardon my rudeness but what are you doing here in Volterra?" Aro asked, the panic stirring inside of him. He didn't need to know the answer to this question, he knew that the old wizard was here to take his Hermione away. Was the dark wizard here too, was he hiding amongst the shadows. His eyes quickly travelled around the room but he could not see anything unusual. Flicking his gaze back to the old wizard he asked, "Did you come alone?"

Dumbledore noticed the shift in the vampire's eyes and wondered who exactly he was looking for. He himself had taken the time to glance around the room noticing there were three male vampires, and two female vampires, then there were two of the three leaders sitting on the thrones at the front of the room.

"To answer your first question, I do believe the obvious answer to that is I wish to see Hermione. The reason why is I am incredibly concerned about her welfare since coming here." He paused for a moment and pulled out the two letters, which he had already duplicated before coming here. "You see she sent me these two letters, and although she does not say anything so incriminating I can tell that she is deeply affected by something in the second letter. It does not sound like our Hermione."

Aro felt the anger surge inside of him. She was and never would be anyone's Hermione, except his. But he managed to push his feelings aside and concentrate on the letters.

"I was not aware Hermione had written to you. We do not have such things to facilitate the sending of letters here." He grinned at Albus, although the wizard never once flinched. Instead he chuckled lightly

"Ahh but Hermione does. You see the raven she has Dante, can travel long distances with letters. And has been doing that very well during the past few weeks."

Aro had not known about the bird's usefulness and hated the fact Hermione was able to communicate with the wizards back home. Had she contacted her dark wizard, had they been sending love letters while she was here? Once again he had to stop the surge of anger from boiling over.

Caius who had been sitting beside his brother, felt the anger and tension radiating from him. So giving Aro the chance to calm down, he quickly said,

"I can assure you that although it was hard for Hermione to fit in at first, she has quickly settled in well. She has made several friendships over the weeks, and has currently been with Marcus studying and learning all about our ways. That is where my brother is now in fact."

Dumbledore felt reassured by Caius's words, although still wasn't going to leave without seeing her. It did sound like Hermione especially the learning part.

"That is all very well and good but I will not leave here until I have seen her for myself." He said firmly.

"By all means stay all you want, but that's not to say we will allow you to see her. You should remember where you are old man and here in Volterra we make the rules." Caius said. He was always quick to temper when someone appeared to undermine their authority, and always demanded respect from visitors when they stood before the three leaders. Even though he had momentarily forgotten who he was speaking to, the rules still applied to the old wizard regardless of his position in the Wizarding world.

"The last thing I recall was Hermione coming here of her own free will. Which means she isn't held captive and is no prisoner." Dumbledore said, angered by the two Volturi leaders. He appeared to grow taller as his magic began to swirl around him, for he did not take to threats lightly.

"You are quite right in what you say. Hermione is indeed a visitor here not a prisoner. I apologise for my brother's rather abrupt behaviour." A new voice said. "I'm sorry I can't recall your name."

Dumbledore turned to where the voice came from and saw the woman walking back with another male vampire, who he presumed to be Marcus. At least this leader made sense, Dumbledore thought.

"My name is Albus Dumbledore."

Marcus walked towards him, his hands held out as he shook Dumbledore's hand in a respectful greeting.

"Ahh the famous Albus Dumbledore, Hermione thinks very highly of you and has spoken a lot about you to me." He let go of Dumbledore's hands then sat down on his thrown, ignoring the shocked expressions from his two brothers. "My brother was correct, Hermione has had a troubled beginning here in Volterra but she is doing well now. But I see no harm in you meeting with Hermione. I am sure she would love that. Perhaps you could even take her out for a day or two. I think getting her out from behind these walls would do her well."

Dumbledore smiled with satisfaction at Marcus, he liked this vampire and could see that at least one person was looking out for her wellbeing.

"That would be wonderful, I'm sure she will appreciate it."

"Now brother." Aro finally said, feeling angry and annoyed that his brother dared overrule him, especially when it came to Hermione. "I don't think that is such a very good idea. If she goes outside, then think of what will happen if she exposes herself to humans."

Marcus calmly flicked his hand, waving away Aro's fears.

"We have just went over the laws of the Volturi and Hermione is a smart, competent girl she will not risk herself." He reached his hand out and placed it on Aro's shoulder. "Trust her brother. Allow her this little bit of freedom and let her spend time with her friend. She will love you for it later." He gave Aro a quick nod, hidden from everyone else, as his message was passed on to Aro.

Although at first Aro had been angry, he now understood his brothers meaning perfectly. He still didn't like the idea of Hermione leaving Volterra, and being out of his sight. He didn't like the idea of her seeing that dark wizard. But if he stopped her from having this chance, and she found out she would hate him for it. He would never be able to win her if he done that, nor would he be able to earn her trust. Any chance of a future they may have had would be gone in a single instant. Did he really want to risk that?

The other option was him trusting her to come back to them, to him. If he gave her the options to stay or go, and she decided to go with the old wizard, then she would be happy. She would be grateful for that chance, and maybe trust could be established at last between them. Perhaps it could work, he thought. Perhaps if he done this good deed, it would erase his previous error. He just hated the idea of not knowing where she was, who she was with and what she was doing. He was possessive that way and wanted her all to himself.

With a small sigh he had finally reached his decision.

"Very well then we will let you see her and let her decide what she wants to do. She is not a prisoner here as long as she sticks to the laws of the Volturi." He turned his gaze to Chelsea and said, "I'm sorry dear but will you go and retrieve Hermione, but do not tell her the reason why. It's best that this is kept a surprise."

"Of course Master." With that she turned away and left the room.

Dumbledore watched her leave, glad that he would soon see how Hermione was for himself. That was all that mattered to him.

"You never answered my second question." Aro suddenly said, pulling Dumbledore's attention back to himself. "Did you come alone?" He couldn't help but ask him that. He needed to know if the dark wizard was here. He needed to know exactly what he was up against.

"I came alone. Both to Volterra and to where I am currently staying while here." Dumbledore said calmly, without giving away any clues to where he was residing. He didn't trust the leader Aro or his brother Caius, he felt like they were hiding something from him. But for some reason he trusted Marcus, as he gave him no real reason not to.

Relief filled Aro immediately, at least he didn't need to worry about the dark wizard and wondering what they were doing. Picturing them in close intimate positions. He wouldn't have been able to help himself and knew that those kind of thoughts would have driven him mad with jealousy.

"Good." Aro simply said.

Chelsea opened the doors and ushered a confused Hermione inside. When she looked around the room and saw Dumbledore standing, a wide smile broke out on her beautiful pale face as she ran to him. She wanted nothing more than to fling her arms around him and embrace him in a tight bear hug, but had to refrain herself, in case she broke his bones. So instead she stopped in front of him and smiled, before placing her head against his beating heart.

"I can't believe you're here Albus. I've missed you so much." She whispered, listening to the calming beat of his heart, and taking in his familiar scent. He smelled like Hogwarts and like home.

He gently pushed her away slightly, so that he could look at her fully. She was beautiful and her dress sense had changed since he last saw her. So looked stylish and sophisticated and very much like a beautiful woman and not the little girl she once was. She looked incredible and he could see nothing out of sorts with her except for one thing. Her eyes. He was glad that they still held the unusual red and gold colour as before, but they had darkened a little and they looked sad. His fears were confirmed as he looked into their depths, something had happened and he wouldn't leave her until he found out just what that was.

"I've missed you my dear girl. We all have. After Remus and I received your letters I know I had to come and visit you. I hope you don't mind." He smiled gently at her and watched as she shook her head no. Then her eyes darted to the three leaders who were watching them intently.

"I hope you don't mind." She said mostly to Aro, knowing just how dangerous he could be at times.

He grinned at her, clasping his hands and sitting them just under his chin. In Hermione's eyes he looked as though he was up to something and she really didn't like that feeling.

"Actually mia carissima, my brother Marcus here suggested that you might like to leave the walls of Volterra and spend some time with your friend here. Perhaps a day or two." He smiled, although it seemed forced.

Hermione turned her gaze to Marcus and felt herself fill with happiness. It could only have been his idea, for Aro would never let her leave and Caius was strict about where people went. Marcus had done this for her.

"Thank you so much." She said, speaking directly to him. He seemed indifferent about her thanks and simply gave a slight nod of his head. "I really appreciate it." She said letting her gaze travel across Aro and Caius too.

"Perhaps you may want to go and pack a bag or something." Aro said encouragingly.

She laughed and held up her little beaded bag.

"Actually I keep emergency things in here, so I always have everything that I need." She turned to Dumbledore and smiled fondly at him, feeling freedom within her grasp. "I think we should head now." She wanted to add before they change their minds, but refrained. She didn't want to anger Aro and risk losing this chance.

"Take my arm." He said to her before whipping out his wand.

"Before you go." Marcus quickly said, standing up and walking over to Hermione. He looked deep into her eyes, and in them she could see the pleading, the hope. "While you are away please think of what I asked before." He bent forward and kissed her cheek before taking a few steps backwards.

"I will." Hermione said, gently taking Dumbledore's arm.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

She nodded and before they disappeared her gaze travelled over Marcus's shoulder to Aro, who looked saddened by her departure. This must have been hard for him, she thought, not realising just how hard it actually was.

In a blink of eye Dumbledore and Hermione vanished, leaving behind just air and an empty space where their two bodies had been.

"Are you sure that was a wise idea brother?" Caius suddenly said, breaking the silence. "What if she doesn't come back?"

Marcus sighed and turned to face his brothers, knowing that they both wouldn't have liked what he suggested. But for two different reasons of course.

"You cannot keep her here brother, and you both know that her magic would have erupted from her again if she found out. It is better this way believe me. And she will come back. She has formed bonds now, and has reasons to come back." He placed his hand back on Aro's shoulder and smiled slightly. "Hermione is many things and one of those things is that she is loyal to a fault."

Aro wanted to believe him, he wanted to believe that she would come back but he had his doubts.

"What did you ask her?" Aro suddenly said to Marcus, remembering the last words his brother had said to Hermione before she suddenly disappeared. Marcus sighed, and hanging his head down low he said,

"For now that is between me and Hermione. I will tell you when she gives me an answer."

"Marcus?" Aro said cautiously, not liking the fact that he was being kept in the dark about something that was obviously important to Marcus.

"Trust me brother." With that Marcus left the room quickly, before Aro had the chance to touch his hand. It wouldn't do for Aro to read his thoughts regarding the matter. If Hermione agreed to obliviate his memories of Didyme he would do it, just so that he didn't have to live with the pain any longer. He was afraid that if Aro found out he might try to change his mind, after all Didyme was his sister, he had lost family too.

Aro and Caius stood watching Marcus leave. When the door shut behind him, Caius quickly turned to Aro and said,

"Brother I don't know if I like this idea. Hermione should not be out there? What if something happens to her?" He was genuinely concerned about Hermione, she was new to their world and didn't know their ways well enough yet, despite what Marcus had just said. He also wasn't sure if he trusted the wizard to look after her properly. She was important to the Volturi, and more importantly to Aro. Her safety was paramount to them now.

"Do not fear brother I have an idea. Demetri and Felix step over here for a moment." Aro said at once, a sly smile spreading across his face.

"Yes master." Demetri said.

"I want you to follow them and watch over Hermione. I want to know where she is, what she's doing, who's she's doing it with. Understand." Aro said firmly. Demetri was there best tracker if anyone could keep an eye on her it was him. And should she get into any trouble then Felix would be there with his strength.

"Perfectly." Demetri answered, although he did not like the fact that he was being sent to spy on someone he considered a friend.

"Master." Jane's quiet voice suddenly said, interrupting the conversation. "Perhaps I may go with Demetri and Felix. Just in case they require my services."

Aro was well aware of the animosity and jealousy between Jane and Hermione. As much as he relied on Jane and her powers, he knew she wouldn't hesitate in hurting Hermione. Despite the fact he knew she could take care of herself and repel Jane's power, he knew Jane would try other means to endanger the woman she saw as a threat. No matter how in awe of Jane he was, he would simply not allow her to hurt his mate.

He chuckled slightly and looked down at her.

"Jane my dear if I wanted them to be tortured then I would send you of course. But I don't, I just want someone to keep an eye on them for me. Your skills are far too important for such a mundane task as that."

She huffed in indignation, despite Aro's attempt at flattery and stepped back without saying another word.

"Leave now and return back when you have the information that I need." Aro said. "And gentleman." He suddenly called out. "Do not fail me." He warned.

With that Demetri got a link for Hermione and set off with Felix following closely behind. It was daylight outside, making their journey dangerous, and the risk of being exposed greater. But they wouldn't fail this task. They couldn't.

* * *

Dumbledore and Hermione landed in a beautiful spot surrounded by trees and grass. There were no people or houses close to the Chateau so they had enough privacy for Hermione to stay outside and bask in the openness.

She turned her face up towards the sky and marvelled, as the sunlight gently kissed her skin. How she missed the look and feel of the sun against her, letting it warm up her body. She couldn't feel the rays on her skin as a vampire. But still it was therapeutic none the less and she loved just being outside. There were no walls trapping her. She was free.

Dumbledore smiled warmly as he saw her happy eager face, her whole body seemed to relax at once and he was glad to see her looking like herself. He really had been worried about her but seeing her like this now, his worries were left far behind.

Her skin sparkled like tiny million diamonds and she looked utterly radiant.

"It feels like it's been years since I last saw sunlight." She finally said looking at him. "The Volturi leaders don't let you leave the Palazzo. Not out of badness." She quickly added, not wanting to give Dumbledore the wrong idea. "They do it out of fear and risk of exposure. Secrecy is everything to them, it is the key to their salvation."

Dumbledore was impressed, obviously she had been learning some thing's from Marcus.

"That is understandable especially when you think back about our own secrecy laws." He agreed.

Hermione began to run and climb the trees, letting her body do things that she hadn't done since leaving Hogwarts. She was free to explore and do everything she wanted without the worry of exposing herself. It was liberating. She ran back to Dumbledore and hugged him again.

"Thank you so much for bringing me here. It is beautiful but without sounding ungrateful I need to ask, where are we exactly?"

Dumbledore laughed at her then said,

"We are in France, Nice to be exact. Thanks to your friend Lucius Malfoy." He chuckled when he saw the stunned expression on her face. "He feels like he owes you for what you done for his family. Letting me stay here was a mere token of his gratitude."

Hermione honestly didn't know what to say to that piece of information. She had never done anything for gratitude or thanks, she had done it for the simple fact it was the right thing to do and they deserved a chance to be free.

"Tell him he owes me nothing, I just want them to be happy now that they can." She smiled cheekily at him then said, "But tell him I said thanks for this."

She twirled around, enjoying her freedom so much and took a deep breath of fresh air. She could smell the beautiful scent of the trees, oak and pine, mingled with the smell of the salt sea water. She sniffed again and suddenly caught the scent of something familiar, even though it was weak. She concentrated on that one smell, as it suddenly grew stronger.

Her eyes opened wide and she turned frantically trying to find the source of the smell. Standing outside the Chateau was Remus and it was his wet dog scent that she had caught. Her heart soared at the sight of him, but she remained rooted to the spot suddenly feeling sheepish.

She was still embarrassed by the way she had left and even though she had written to him, to beg his and Dora's forgiveness, seeing him in the flesh made her feel guilty.

He wore a big grin on his face, and looked better than ever as he walked over the grass towards her. Marriage obviously suited him.

"Come and give me a hug blood sucker." He said. At his reassuring words, Hermione smiled broadly at her friend and ran straight into his open arms. She inhaled his scent and clung to him, scared that he was about to disappear at any moment.

"Remus I am so sorry. Please forgive me." She suddenly said, letting tears of joy, and sadness trickle down her cheeks, unable to stop them.

He pulled away from her and held her face in his hands.

"Listen to me Hermione, I was upset at the way you left I'll be honest with you, but I can understand why you did it like that. It takes a brave person to do what you done. We just wish that you didn't have too."

He hugged Hermione again, relieved to see her looking so good.

"The Volturi would never have stopped pursuing me. I can't risk them hurting you. Not after everything." She said quietly. Remus smiled at her and put his hands on her shoulders, so that he could look her straight in the eyes.

"Hermione I know."

She squeezed him again, grateful that he was such a kind and considerate friend.

"What are you doing here?" She asked with a big beaming smile. "I didn't know you were here."

"Neither did I." Dumbledore said joining the two of them. His tone was firm and he looked displeased by Remus's presence. Sensing the Headmasters annoyance, Remus blushed under Dumbledore's glare, before running his hands through his hair nervously.

"Albus I truly am sorry. Believe me when I say I tried to stop it." He said sheepishly.

"Stop what." Dumbledore asked already knowing the who had been watching the two men talking away, suddenly caught another all too familiar smell. It caused her stomach to summersault and her heart to plummet. Looking over Remus's shoulder she saw the tall dark figure looming in the distance.

She moved away from Remus and stared at the dark figure not wanting to believe what she was seeing. Mixed emotions filled her, regret, sadness, elation, anger, sheer joy, as she simply stared in shock, not knowing how she should react or which emotion she should be feeling. Remus and Dumbledore could do nothing but watch and as the dark figure moved towards her, causing her whole body to become rigid.

"Hello Hermione." He said sounding unsure himself. Whatever reaction he was expecting from her, this obviously hadn't been it.

She tried to find her voice but all that came out was a breathy soft whisper, as she spoke only one word.

"Severus."

 **Ok I used google translate so if it's wrong blame that.**

 **Translation from Italian into English-**

 *** Mi dispiace disturbarla, ma qualcune e qui per vedere I maestri- I'm sorry to bother you, but someone is here to see the masters.**

 *** Non conosco il suo nome- I don't know his name.**

 *** Non posso, lui dice che non lascera fino a quando non parla con loro- I can't, he says he won't leave until he speaks with them.**

 *** Mio carissimo- my dearest.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Severus had been sitting waiting nervously with Remus in the Chateau when they heard the tell-tale signs of apparition coming from outside. He immediately jumped off the spot he had been occupying and was about to march straight out the door, when Remus suddenly grabbed him by the arm.

"Severus let me go out first. I don't think Albus will appreciate us being here, and I think we ought to give him a moment. What do you say?"

Severus looked down to where Remus's hand was wrapped around his arm and quickly jerked it out of his grip. Scowling at the man who had quickly become his friend, he wanted to reply with a scathing remark, but refrained for he knew that Remus was right on both accounts.

After Dumbledore had told them that they couldn't come with him to Volterra to see Hermione, he had left the Headmaster's office angry and frustrated at the old man. Even after all this time Albus Dumbledore was still trying to control his life after promising he would stop. Severus knew that he was only doing it to protect him but still, he wasn't a child and it infuriated him to no end.

Severus had stormed through the halls of Hogwarts only stopping when he finally reached his own quarters. Once inside he turned over his table, scattering everything that had been on top to the floor, before hurling breakable objects at the wall. Still not satisfied by that he ran his hands through his hair and began to pace.

Why should Albus bloody Dumbledore go visit her when Remus was her best friend and he was…. he was…. He thumped his hand against the wall, ignoring the pain that radiated through him, as he realised that he had no idea what he was to Hermione anymore.

She had proclaimed to love him and yet when the moment came she walked away from him in the end, like he didn't matter enough to her. Oh she had her reasons for leaving, she felt the Volturi would keep coming after her and put everyone she loved in danger. He could understand her need to protect, but still that didn't mean the pain of her leaving hurt any less. And it did hurt, more than anything he had ever felt before.

He never thought he would ever be able to love anyone again after Lily, but then Hermione had come along. His bushy haired know it all, with her kind heart and warm honey eyes. She was his equal in every way and he never believed for one moment, that she would ever love him in return. He was the nasty bat of the dungeons after all.

Then everything changed when she was turned into a vampire. She fell in love with him, she saved him and then she left, taking with it the pieces of his heart that she had stolen. Not only did she leave but she left with him, the leader of the Volturi. There was something about the way he looked at Hermione that Severus didn't like; he simply didn't trust the male vampire.

So he paced in his quarters for hours until eventually he had reached a decision. He would go to Volterra, he would see Hermione and after that he didn't know what would happen.

Despite the lateness of the hour he floo called Lucius Malfoy and discussed Dumbledore using his Chateau for a few days. He also got his long-time friend to pull some strings and get him a portkey made. Lucius was all too eager to help after what Hermione had done to save the Malfoy's lives and their name. Severus knew that Dumbledore wouldn't be happy about it, but right now he didn't care how the old man felt, his need to see Hermione was far greater.

He felt guilty about keeping it a secret from Remus, who had been a great friend to him since before Hermione had left. So when they were alone one night he explained to him what his plans were.

Remus had of course tried to do the right thing and talk him out of it, but it didn't take long for him to change his mind. He insisted to Severus that he wanted to come along as well, and once he had thought about all the dangers he could face, he told Dora. She knew how important Hermione was to Remus so agreed to him going, just as long as he remained safe and came back to her and their unborn child in one piece.

Remus knew the dangers he would face being so close to the leaders of the vampire world, but Hermione was important to him as well, and just like Severus he needed to see her, to make sure she was alright. Neither of them knew if they would ever get the chance to see her again. They didn't even know if they would get to see her now, but they had to take the chance while it was there.

While Dumbledore was busy making his own arrangements, Severus and Remus were quietly plotting their own around what they knew about Dumbledore's plans. So they agreed that while he went to Volterra to see Hermione, they would wait for him to return at the Chateau, hoping that perhaps Hermione would be with him. Not knowing if Dumbledore would be successful or not.

Looking at Remus now, he nodded his head in agreement and moved slowly towards the window. As soon as his gaze locked onto her, his breath caught in his throat and his heart began to beat wildly in his chest.

She looked utterly breath-taking; there were no other words for it. She no longer looked like his bushy haired witch, but a beautiful radiant woman styled to perfection. The suns fingers caressed her flawless skin making it sparkle and shimmer as if it was made from millions of tiny diamonds. But the thing that really took his breath away was seeing the wide smile on her beautiful face. It was like she had never seen the sun before, like being outdoors was new to her. She looked happy and content as she ran and twirled around. She was simply mesmerising to watch.

"I can't believe that's our witch." Remus suddenly said from across his shoulder. "She is more beautiful than I remember."

Severus scowled at Remus's innocent comment, feeling the simple pang of jealousy once more, but never once did he take his eyes off of her.

He began to question himself then, was this the right thing to do, could he walk away from her a second time, could he face that pain all over again, did she want to see him, would she be happy that he was here? There were just so many questions. At first he had been sure of his decision, but now, now he didn't know what to think. It didn't matter anyway; he could not turn back now. He had seen her, his eyes had feasted on her and he was hooked, needing more.

Hermione had her back to them and was deep in conversation with Dumbledore, when Remus headed outside. Severus watched as her body tensed and she turned quickly to see Remus standing there. She looked nervous and wary as he approached her slowly and they engaged in conversation. All at once the relief flashed across her face as she flung herself into Remus's arms. He then cupped her face and said something that Severus couldn't hear.

Dumbledore looked thunderous as he joined them in conversation, at that moment he knew this was his time. He had to make an appearance, so he left the security of the Chateau and stepped outside.

The moment his foot was on the grass Hermione's whole posture changed as she looked at him from across Remus's shoulder. Her eyes seemed to pierce him down to his very soul, as she stepped away from Remus to look at him more. She never moved from the spot and stood rigid as she simply watched him approach.

He was nervous, unsure of her reaction as a mixture of emotions flashed across her face. His heart beat frantically in his chest, thudding hard against his ribcage as his pulse quickened. He had no doubts that she could hear the reaction she was having on him.

Remus, ever the gentleman, stood back from her as he slowly approached. The look on Dumbledore's face would have unnerved him if it wasn't for the fact that he was totally enraptured by her.

"Hello Hermione." Severus said, hoping that his voice sounded a lot calmer than he felt.

She tried to move her mouth to say something, but when no sound was made she simply said a single word in a small breathy whisper, a whisper that spoke clearly of her own nerves and feelings at seeing him here.

"Severus."

He closed his eyes at the soft sound, savouring the sweetness of hearing his name in her voice. He exhaled slowly, trying not to let the pent up emotions get the better of him. When he was finally able to look at her, it seemed like she had finally taken a step towards him, and unable to stop himself he moved to her, like two magnets drawn together.

"I-you- I didn't expect to see you here." Hermione whispered, unsure what else to say.

He gave a small quirk of his lips as he said,

"I wasn't sure if I would be welcomed here or not." It was the truth for he had no idea how she would react to him being there.

Her eyes widened and a small frown graced her beautiful red lips.

"Severus you will always be welcomed by me. We were-" She paused briefly as her eyes flickered away from him, so she could mask her feelings, not wanting him to see the things she so desperately wanted to hide. "Friends once." Her voice sounded so small as she spoke. He had always been more than a friend to her, but by bringing up old feelings, it would simply open up old painful wounds and she couldn't do that to him. Not again.

"Is that all we were? Friends." His voice was calm but she could hear the pleading, the need to know that what they had was real. That it wasn't a lie.

"Severus." She whispered, not wanting to have this conversation. Not now and not here in front of Remus and Dumbledore.

Feeling the awkwardness of the situation Dumbledore intervened, he had finally learned to meddle at the right time Hermione thought.

"Remus perhaps you can take Hermione for a walk around the Chateau while Severus and I have a little chat." His tone of voice left no room for argument.

Hermione felt relief at being spared. She needed to get away from Severus and evaluate her feelings. Was she pleased that he was here; obviously he had gone behind Dumbledore's wishes, which meant he had truly wanted to see her. But nothing had changed since they had last spoken. The situation they were in was still the same and nothing would ever change that. So why, why would he want to torment himself further. To torment them both further.

Severus glared at Dumbledore, ready to cut the meddling fool down with a scathing remark, when Remus finally interjected, trying to calm the situation down.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea. Hermione shall we." He said holding out his arm for her to take.

She chanced a worried glance between Severus and Albus, while she chewed on her bottom lip. Something she hadn't done in a long time. With a small nod of her head, she took Remus's arm and together they walked away from the two angry wizards.

She did not need to look back to see that Severus's eyes were pinned on her retreating form. Nor did she need her vampire senses to hear the low grumbling voices as an argument broke out between the two powerful wizards. She tried not to listen in but she couldn't help it. Curiosity got the better of her.

"What do you think you are doing Severus? I specifically asked you not to come here and yet you defy me nonetheless. Not only that but you brought poor Remus into this as well." Dumbledore hissed, trying to sound as quiet as he possibly could. "Have you no regards for anyone but yourself? Have you no idea how dangerous it is for Remus to be here. I thought he was your friend."

A low growl escaped Severus's mouth, as he yanked his arm away from Dumbledore.

"How dare you Albus, Remus is no fool he knew what he was getting into when he agreed to come with me? Did you think we would let you come here without us? Do you honestly think Hermione means more to you than she does us?" Severus's voice sounded just as angry.

"Severus you will only end up hurt again, can't you see that." Dumbledore said with a heavy heart. "You might think I'm being an old meddling fool again, but Severus please you are like a son to me and I can't bear to see you hurting like that again. You shouldn't be here. It's not good for you or for Hermione."

"Don't." Severus hissed out, his finger pointing in Dumbledore's face. "Don't you dare tell me what's good for me? You know nothing, nothing." He shook his head slightly as he spat out the last word, before turning on his heels and headed back to the Chateau. Perhaps Dumbledore was right. Perhaps he had just made a grave error in coming here to see her.

After the argument, Hermione walked further away, her head bowed down low. She had heard every word that was said between the two wizards. She was glad to see Severus here, of course she was, but with him being here it only stirred up emotions she didn't want to face. She had already broken his heart once by walking away from him. Nothing had changed and once more she would need to walk away from him again. There was no other option. Not for them.

She stood with her arms wrapped protectively around her stomach, her head turned up towards the brilliant blue sky. What happened to the days when things were so simple, when all she had to worry about were her exams? She missed her young carefree life, not that her life had been completely carefree growing up.

Hogwarts wasn't an option to her anymore, now that she had glanced the vampire world, she wasn't ready to leave it just yet. It had been incredibly hard at first, and she had seen things that she wished she could erase from her memory. She knew that things wouldn't be easy in the future either but the past few days proved that things had changed, even just a little. She was changing and she wasn't ready to give all that up. Not yet.

And then there was Aro. Although in her heart she loved Severus, she knew they could never be together, not in the way he wanted anyway. She didn't love Aro; in fact she wasn't even sure if she liked him at the moment after his last little stunt. But she couldn't deny there was something there, a strange attraction of sorts that she was trying to get her head around. There was also the small fact that he was married. And she refused to be anyone's mistress; she was second best for no-one.

The decisions she would make from now on had to be her own, this was her life. She would need to rule her life the way she wanted to and not with her heart. If she did that she would never get what she wanted. Why prolong the pain. She had friends and loved ones in Hogwarts, but she was developing that in Volterra as well.

"Why so silent?" Remus said coming up from behind, so that he stood shoulder to shoulder with her.

She turned her gaze to him and smiled sadly, as he took her cold hand in his. He shivered slightly at the contact then said,

"I forgot how bloody freezing your hands are." He chuckled softly.

She went to pull her hand out from his grasp but he held onto it tightly. Turning confused eyes to him, Remus sighed then said,

"I know you heard the argument between Dumbledore and Severus. But please don't let it upset you Hermione. We never came here for that. In fact, we came to make sure you weren't upset after the letters you sent us. We were worried."

She looked down at her feet and shook her head slightly.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you all, I am believe me. I just wasn't prepared, especially not for him. I don't understand why he would come here, when Albus asked him not too."

"Men do crazy things when they are in love Hermione." She turned her head away at his words, not wanting him to see the pain that lingered. "Don't be embarrassed by it Hermione. You left in a hurry and he was devastated, I guess he's just looking for some answers. Maybe even closure."

"Maybe." She sighed and squeezed his hand gently. "But it doesn't make things any easier. Anyway-" She said quickly changing the subject. "How are Dora and the baby doing?" She asked, suddenly feeling excited about the fact that her best friend would be a father soon. And what a wonderful father he would be.

Remus's smile was contagious as he thought of his wife and unborn son.

"I don't have to tell you anything Miss I-can-see-the-future. You already know we're having a son. And you know his name."

Hermione squealed with delight before hugging Remus.

"Congratulations I am so happy for you both." She said honestly, the heavy weight in her heart lifting. Little Teddy Lupin would have an amazing life with two wonderful parents now that the Dark Lord was defeated. He wouldn't be a young orphan like Harry was anymore. In that moment it made all of Hermione's sacrifices worth it, knowing that one family, amongst hundreds, had changed for the better. This was worth more than anything to her; it was all she ever wanted.

"Easy there Hermione, honestly are you trying to kill me." Remus said with a chuckle as she squeezed him tighter.

"God sorry." She smiled sheepishly as she pulled away from him, noticing how his face had turned red. "I keep forgetting."

"Anyway Hermione how are you doing? What happened to make you write those letters?" He asked curiously.

"What makes you think there was something wrong?" She asked, her voice sounding clipped as she stood straighter. If they asked she wouldn't be able to lie to them or fool them. But how could she tell them everything that had happened.

"Hermione I'm not stupid and neither is Albus." He said with a frown. "Do you honestly think we don't know you well enough to realize when you're upset."

She sighed and shook her head no.

"Yeah you're right. But if you don't mind I would rather tell all three of you the story, saves me from having to repeat it later." Saying it out loud once was bad enough but repeating it another two times was more than she could handle.

"That's fine by me, as long as you talk about it and not sweep it under the carpet."

She laughed pushing his arm gently.

"Honestly you sound like a muggle."

"That's not a bad thing though is it?" He held out his arm and smiled. "Shall we head inside now?"

He waited on her to take his arm but she never. Instead she took a small step backwards, a mischievous smile creeping onto her face as she did so.

"Actually how about-" She flew up into the air and circled him, like a vulture getting ready to attack its prey. "We race."

She giggled as she flew in the direction of the Chateau, with Remus chasing her from below. She laughed and squeezed her eyes shut, as she let the slight breeze run through her hair. It was so invigorating being able to let loose without fear of being seen. She missed having that kind of freedom in Volterra. Whereas back at Hogwarts she had ample choices of where to go outside the Black Lake, the Quidditch Pitch, the Forbidden Forest, she missed it all.

She lowered herself to the ground and sat waiting for Remus to catch up with her. When he did, his face had reddened and he was panting heavily.

"Honestly Hermione have you forgotten that I'm an old man now. I can't keep up with you like that."

She laughed and shook her head disapprovingly at him.

"Don't give me that crap Remus Lupin, you were an old man the last time I saw you. I think your happy marriage has affected you more than you thought." She patted his stomach teasingly and said, "And I thought it was just pregnant woman who ate for two." She giggled as he pounced on her, a pretend scowl on his face.

"Why you little…." They began a play fight, one that reminded them of that time in Dumbledore's office when he almost had a heart attack because of their antics.

Hermione laughed wholeheartedly, loving just being with Remus again. It almost seemed like she had never left, and for those few minutes any worries she may have had simply vanished from her mind.

Play fighting on the ground, and laughing hysterically was how Dumbledore and Severus found them. They had heard the commotion from inside the Chateau and so came out to investigate what was going on. The sight that greeted them was certainly not what either wizard was expecting.

Hermione was lying on the ground; her head flung back with laughter as Remus tickled her and mussed up her hair.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, when neither of them had registered the fact that they now had company. Hermione stopped struggling while Remus jumped off and helped her stand to her feet, his face reddening with embarrassment. They were trying so hard not laugh when Severus said,

"It seems that our concerns were unfounded." The bitterness in his voice was evident as he couldn't hide the fact he hated that she appeared so tense in his company, but was so open and happy in Remus's.

He turned to walk away leaving the trio to talk when Hermione's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Her own anger at the situation rose. His behaviour was uncalled for and she felt like he shouldn't be taking it out on her. Although she knew that it was mostly her fault. She had caused this situation; she had made her decision.

Severus turned to face her, his familiar scowl on his pale face.

"What I mean is that we came here to see you, under the impression that you were upset and needing us. But obviously we can see that we were wrong. You don't look upset to me." And she didn't look like she needed them either, just Remus, he thought glumly.

"You have no idea what I've been through Severus Snape. And yet you want to deny me the one little bit of happiness I've had in weeks." She sighed then walked away from the three men needing some time on her own.

She understood that Severus was hurting but so was she.

"Hermione wait." Remus called after her. She didn't want to face him either just now so disillusioned herself and left to go into the woods, knowing that none of them could follow her.

She spent a couple of hours sitting in a tall tree thinking about the strange turn of events her life had taken. Being a vampire witch, having feelings for two men, feeling like her life was being torn in two. She thought of what her life was like in Hogwarts and the life that she now had in Volterra. She thought of all the friends she had made over the years and everything she had learned about in both her worlds and things about herself. Then she thought of what Marcus had asked her, she thought of the pain he had endured during the years and thought of the way that she could help him. Could she really obliviate the memories of his dead love. Was it fair on him to do that? Was it fair of her not to do it if that's what he wanted? So many unanswered questions ran through her mind at once. And if she wanted any of them answered then she knew what she had to do.

With a new resolve she made her way back to the Chateau, still disillusioned, and headed inside to find the three wizards all sitting deep in thought. The smell of cooked food assaulted her senses; they had obviously made themselves comfortable.

"I'm sorry for leaving like that." She suddenly said startling the wizards as she cancelled the disillusionment charm. "Things really haven't been easy at Volterra. My second day there Aro, the Volturi leader, beckoned me to the dome room for an initiation of sorts." She laughed sardonically as she thought about it, and then turned her back on the three wizards not wanting to see their faces. "He seemed so excited by it and at first I had no idea what was going on. Then I heard the heartbeats of humans being escorted into the room. I didn't know why humans would be coming into a room full of vampires, and then it hit me." She shuddered and let her head droop as she squeezed her eyes shut, picturing the memory clearly in her head. "There were children in the group, innocent young children and I did nothing to help them. I still hear their screams in my mind. I can still see the way the vampires fed from them. It was horrible. I didn't want to see that so when I asked for them to stop they ignored me. My emotions affected my magic and somehow I managed to stop it. But it was too late."

"Hermione you don't need to tell us anymore. We understand." Dumbledore's calm soothing voice said from behind. She turned to face him and shook her head slowly.

"No you need to know the rest. Aro had wanted me to see that, he wanted me to become one of them and I told him no, I would never be like them. So he forced an ultimatum on me, I either feed the same way as them, or I don't feed at all. So I chose not at all." She held her head high and defiant. "Six weeks I lasted. The first four were alright but then after that I felt as though I was being tortured. I couldn't control my magic, I felt as though I was losing my mind, and my body felt like it was on fire. All I could think about was feeding, and I confess that once or twice I thought of drinking human blood." She didn't look at Severus when she said the last part, not wanting to see the horrified expression on his face. After all he was her singer and the last time she tasted blood it was his. She had almost lost control and killed him.

"But you didn't, so what happened then." Dumbledore asked, feeling sick to his stomach when he thought of what she must have gone through. The pain and suffering she must have felt.

Hermione smiled fondly as she thought of the man who saved her.

"Marcus happened. He managed to convince Aro to end the battle between us. And he got Demetri to bring me a cow to feed from. If it hadn't been for him then I wouldn't like to think about what would have happened otherwise."

Severus who had been listening to her story intently felt his heart clench painfully in his chest. The anger and hatred that he felt towards Aro built up deep within him. He hated the fact that he was helpless; he could do nothing to help Hermione only she could do that.

"Then leave Volterra and come back to Hogwarts." He said, his voice sounding cold but steady as he spoke.

Hermione turned her attention to Severus and noticed the tension in his body. Anger blazed in his dark eyes and his hands shook slightly. She could hear the frantic beating of his heart and the heat that radiated from his body.

"I can't leave Volterra Severus."

He jumped up from the chair and began to pace angrily in front of them.

"Why not? They are treating you abysmally and you don't belong amongst them. Leave Volterra and come back with us to Hogwarts."

She sighed heavily not wanting to get into this argument again. He would never understand her reasons for wanting to stay in Volterra after everything.

"It's not as simple as that Severus."

"Why? Why is it not that simple? You hate it there; it's obviously getting to you. So leave and come back to where you belong." He stopped pacing and looked at her finally.

"I don't belong at Hogwarts anymore." She whispered quietly. "Despite what happened in Volterra I'm beginning to feel like I fit in. Marcus is my mentor I trust him completely and he looks out for me. He reminds me of you." She smiled nodding towards Dumbledore. "And I've made friends. I have Heidi and Chelsea then there's Demetri and Felix. Granted it's not been easy and I don't expect it to get any easier for a while, but neither was Hogwarts when I first started."

Dumbledore slowly rose from his chair and walked towards her. He always admired her courage and logic in serious situations.

"Are you sure Hermione, I mean Severus is right, you can always come back to Hogwarts. You know that it will always be your home."

She smiled warmly at his words and lay her hand to rest on his shoulder.

"Thank you Albus but I'm sure. Things didn't get off to the best start in Volterra I admit that, but things have changed now. I feel Volterra is where I belong, I can't just leave, not yet."

"If you're sure then alright." He agreed not sounding at all convinced by her words.

Severus glared at her, obviously not happy with her decision. He wanted her home, even if they couldn't be together; he just wanted her to be safe. And her being in Volterra obviously wasn't her being kept safe. The leader of the Volturi angered Severus to no end. He had seen the strange glint in his eyes and the possessive behaviour he had towards Hermione. Yet after all that he had managed to threaten her, give her an ultimatum, and practically make her starve herself. He was bad news and didn't deserve to have anyone as wonderful as Hermione in his company. He seemed selfish and only out for one thing. The other leader Marcus seemed to have Hermione's best interests at heart, and for that Severus was grateful. She needed someone she could trust and rely on and this Marcus seemed like the right person.

"There is one more thing I need some advice on." Hermione said before going into the long painful story about Marcus losing the love of his life. She spoke about how every day he was haunted by the pain of not having her near. "So to cut a long story short we were talking about my family and I happened to mention to him about what you had done for me." She said looking at Severus when she said this. He would understand her meaning straight away. "Well he asked if I would obliviate his memories of Didyme. I told him I would think about it, and I have done but I just want to know what you think of it."

The three men sat in silence before Remus finally spoke out.

"It isn't an easy decision to make but after what you've just said, if it would make his life easier then why not do it? He obviously cared a great deal about her and is struggling to live without her, if you can end his pain and suffering then do it. But make sure he understands the consequences first."

Hermione sat back against the couch and closed her eyes briefly.

"He did love her a great deal they were mates; you know what happens when mates are parted." Hermione whispered.

Remus understood this better than anyone else in the room. Just like vampire's werewolves sought out there mates for life. He was lucky to have found his mate in Dora, as like vampires not everyone found their mate.

"Yes, that I do understand." Remus nodded.

Hermione turned her head away for a moment then said,

"Remus what happens when two mates meet for the first time?" She tried to avoid eye contact with him as she asked her question.

He looked at her curiously for a moment then said,

"Well they feel a pull towards each other and a strong connection. It starts off physical but the stronger the connection becomes it begins to turn into a more emotional connection."

She frowned at him then said,

"What do you mean an emotional connection?"

He rubbed his hand thoughtfully over his chin then said,

"Well you begin to feel each other's emotions, you know when they're happy, sad, angry, and it's like your souls become one."

Hermione frowned then said,

"What happens if two mates find each other but ignore this connection? What will happen to them?"

He sighed running his hands through his hair then said,

"Well the best case scenario is look at Marcus. If two mates have met but refuse each other then they will be filled with despair, they will slowly lose their minds and will forever feel like something is missing from their lives."

Hermione snorted before saying,

"If that's the best case scenario then what the hell is the worst case then?"

Remus looked at her seriously then said,

"The one who holds the greatest connection towards the other will be filled with intense jealousy. There have been stories about people killing their mates because they were refused. Not just their mates but also any lovers they may have had. It is not a subject to be taken lightly. Why are you asking this anyway?"

She would have blushed at his question if she had been a mere mortal, luckily she wasn't.

"Oh I was just thinking of Marcus and wondering about how hard it would be for him. Alice had mentioned a little about mates before but I just wanted to understand it better."

"Ahh that reminds me." Dumbledore quickly said, trying to change the subject. "The Cullen's said that they will write to you, so except a letter and a package very soon if you haven't received one already."

Hermione's heart soared at the news. She really had enjoyed spending time with the Cullen's and liked each of them, well the ones she had met so far anyway. She wondered if she would ever get to see them again, considering the history they shared with the Volturi. It wasn't pleasant since they tried to kill Carlisle's granddaughter believing her to be an immortal child.

For the next few hours Hermione sat listening and chatting away as they spoke about everything that was happening back in the Wizarding world. After the defeat of the Dark Lord they were slowly putting their world back together again. All the Death Eaters who had fled the scene after the Dark Lord was defeated was now found and incarcerated in Azkaban. Those few who were deemed the most dangerous were given the Dementor's kiss.

She was glad to hear that Mr Ollivander had begun work on rebuilding his shop again, although it would take time for it to be open. His shop was important in the wizarding community for everyone went there for their first wand, so she was glad that future students of Hogwarts would still get to experience that joy.

As time went on and darkness appeared, the three wizards decided to retire to bed for the night. Hermione was left on her own since she didn't sleep and quietly crept outside to lie on the grass. One thing she had missed being at the Palazzo was the night sky. Looking up now there were no clouds in sight and the stars twinkled like little jewels. It was breath-taking. Lying back against the grass she smiled up at the sky savouring the sight, for she didn't know when she would see it again.

"I've missed you." A silky drawl said from behind. She didn't need to look to see who it was; his familiar scent let her know instead. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, as she sat up. Crossing her legs and wrapping her arms around them.

"I've missed you too Severus." She whispered loud enough for him to hear her.

"Why didn't you tell me what you were planning?" The soft movement of his feet showed that he was hesitant in coming closer to her, unsure if he would be welcomed to or not.

She patted the grass next to her without turning to look at him. Silently he joined her, and as he sat beside her, she felt his arm brush against hers, sending those familiar jolts through her body.

"I knew that if I told you then you wouldn't let me leave. I done what I had to do Severus, I'm just sorry that I hurt you in the process. I never meant to."

"I know you didn't and you're right I would never have let you leave." He sighed then in a very quiet voice said. "I can't simply shut my feelings off. I love you Hermione."

She could feel his eyes on her as he waited for a response, but she didn't know what to say to him. She didn't want to re-open this wound; it was already too fresh for them. So she tightened her arms around her legs and lowered her head.

"Severus you know how I feel about you, that hasn't changed, but neither has our situation. You know why we can't be together."

She saw him clench his fist in irritation then said,

"I know why but you never gave us a chance. We could have been happy together; we could have made it work somehow."

Hermione stood up quickly turning away from him.

"How? How could we have made it work? We would have been happy for a couple of years then you would have hated me Severus. You would have grown old and I wouldn't. I would have to stand by and watch you die in front of me, knowing that I could do something about it, but not being able too."

Severus stood up and walked closer to her; he wanted to reach out and touch her but refrained himself from doing so.

"You could always change me Hermione. Then we could be together."

She whipped her body around to look at him, the pain and sorrow etched on her beautiful face.

"You know I can't. Aro would never allow it. He would have us both killed for breaking the law of Volturi. Could you watch them destroy me? Because I couldn't bear to see them destroy you. Severus you are free from the Dark Lord and from Albus Dumbledore. You are free to live your life the way you want to. You are free to be happy. Please go and do that. Forget about me, forget about us, and live your life." He heard the pleading and the begging in her voice, but he couldn't picture that life.

"Not without you." He whispered quietly.

She moved closer to him and cupped his pale cheeks in her cold hands. Even at the contact he didn't flinch or pull away. Stepping closer she gazed tenderly into his eyes.

"Severus you must."

Her face was inches away from his and without hesitation he bent his head and slowly brushed his lips against hers. She didn't move away at the contact, nor did she tense. As he deepened the kiss slightly, she moaned into his mouth then leaned into his body. He wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her body in closer to his. Despite her previous words, she kissed him back just as vigorously. It felt right and she felt right in his arms. When he ran his fingers through her curly silken hair, she moaned and pulled away slightly, although remained in his arms. He leaned his forehead against hers and savoured the feel of her.

"Severus." She whispered huskily, the sound of her passion evident in her voice. "We can't do this." She said trying to remember why being with him was so wrong.

He kissed her gently on the lips and said,

"Yes we can. We belong together Hermione, despite what you say."

She shook her head slowly but there was no real conviction in the movement.

"Severus we're too different."

He held her to him more tightly then said,

"Hermione I need to hear you say it."

She sighed as her mind and heart battled with one another, then whispered,

"Severus." Her resolve was weakening and she could no longer fight her feelings for him. She needed him, she loved him. Nothing else mattered more to her at that moment. "Severus I-"

Her body tensed and she tore herself from his grasp, as her back turned to him. She gazed into the woods and pushed him behind her as she took the defensive pose all at once.

"What is it?" He asked suddenly.

"We have company." She growled. "Get inside and tell Dumbledore and Remus not to come out. It isn't safe for you here." When Severus didn't move she turned briefly to him and yelled "Go."

Reluctantly he stepped back, pulling out his wand and aiming it towards the trees. Slowly he made his way to the Chateau and before he entered, he took one last look at Hermione.

Her gaze searched the woods for the threat she could feel moving towards them. Vampires were moving quickly through the trees and were heading right towards the Chateau. They could no doubt smell Severus and Dumbledore, but because of the laws of the Volturi they would focus more on the werewolf, a possible threat to them. Well if they thought they could get to them, they were sorely mistaken. They would have to go through her first.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Hermione could feel the vampires drawing closer, they were moving through the woods quickly and heading straight towards the Chateau. She wasn't sure how many of them there were but she knew one thing, they wouldn't get the chance to get close to the three wizards who were inside waiting safely.

She stood still, focusing all of her attention on the woods, looking for any sign of them advancing. She prepared herself for fighting and hoped that it wouldn't come down to that. But she would do anything to protect her friends.

Movement finally caught her eye and three unknown vampires came walking out towards her. There were two females and a male.

One female had long blonde hair down to her waist, she was tall and slender, and had her arms wrapped around the male, obviously he was her lover. The male had cropped brown hair and was big and bulky reminding Hermione of Emmett, he wasn't as tall as Emmett but he was just as broad. He had a cocky grin on his face as he bent his head to capture his lover's lips, obviously in a show of possession. The blonde vampire giggled loving the attention she was getting from the male.

The third vampire had black bobbed hair. She was small in size and curvy and the glare she sent Hermione was one of warning. Hermione may not have wanted to engage in a fight, but judging from this vampire, that was what she was wanting. She stopped the other two vampires at the edge of the woods and sniffed the air. Her eyes glowed brightly as she snarled.

"Well, well, well what do we have here then?" She said her voice commanding. Out of the three vampires she seemed to be the one who was in charge. "You appear to be a vampire but you don't look like one." She snarled out.

Hermione stood tall and proud not showing any signs of nerves. She had quickly scanned the area and realised something felt strange to her. There was a fourth vampire lurking somewhere from behind. They were planning on cornering her so that they could ambush her without her knowing. But her senses were too sharp. Slowly her own plan began to form in her mind. She needed to keep the other three's attention focused on her for it to work however.

"Believe me little girl you haven't seen the likes of me before." Hermione said, bending her knees slightly as if she was about to set off in a run.

"Little girl?" The other vampire yelled out. "How dare you patronize me like that? Have you no idea who I am?" She too moved into the defensive position, so that she could strike Hermione down at any moment.

"Am I supposed too?" Hermione replied laughing slightly, her voice sounding sweet and innocent.

The dark haired vampire went to step forward when her two friends suddenly stopped her.

"Let her be for now Margery. We are here for something else." The male vampire said in warning. There was something different about this loan vampire and he didn't like the feeling that he got from her. She was dangerous. Margery glared at him before nodding her head in agreement.

"Very well but if she's uncooperative then she's mine." She grinned wickedly and turned her attention back to Hermione. "We traced a wolf here and we came to kill it. So you are either protecting it or hunting it yourself. Which is it?"

The need to protect her friends, especially Remus who was their primary target, engulfed her, as she let out a low feral growl in warning. She could feel the fourth vampire move closer to her but she did not take her eyes off the black haired one. She was the one who needed to be watched closely, Hermione decided.

"I will kill you before you get the chance to touch a single hair on his head." She snarled out at the small vampire.

And evil wide smile crossed Margery's pale face, as her eyes lit up even more. She snorted and shook her head in disbelief.

"Protecting a werewolf are we. What a foolish mistake that is. Have you no idea what the Volturi will do to you if they know you associate with those savages." She laughed again. "I don't think they would mind too much if we took care of the problem ourselves." She sneered, delight flashing in her bright red eyes.

It was Hermione who snorted this time, as she tilted her head to the side to eye up her opponent. She really didn't like this vampire and would take great pleasure in showing her just how much she disliked her.

"Actually I know all about the Volturi since I am a member myself." She said sniggering at the shocked looks on the three vampires faces.

"Liar." Margery hissed out, sounding almost like Bellatrix Lestrange for a moment. "If you really are a member of the Volturi then where is the crest. Every member has one." She said triumphantly.

Hermione's hand automatically reached up to her chest, where the crest used to hang from on a gold chain. Then she remembered why she was no longer wearing it. During a fit of anger, she tore it from her neck and flung it at Aro's feet in an act of defiance. When she told him that she would never be one of them. How she wished she had the necklace now?

"It's at the Palazzo dei Priori where the Volturi coven live." Hermione said, hoping to prove that her knowledge about the Volturi would be sufficient enough proof for them.

Margery laughed and quickly stole a glance behind Hermione's back. The fourth vampire was getting closer and they didn't realize Hermione knew he was there. She would have to make her move soon or risk being attacked.

"Every vampire knows where the Volturi live, it's common knowledge. So that doesn't mean a thing."

Hermione stood straight, relaxing her defensive pose as she squared her shoulders. She wiggled her fingers slowly getting ready to cast wandless magic if she had too.

"Perhaps not." Hermione agreed. "Oh by the way I'm sorry."

"For what?" Margery asked looking confused and bewildered at Hermione's words.

Hermione smiled menacingly at the other vampire.

"For killing your friend." She said innocently. Before the other vampires could say anything else, Hermione quickly flew up into the air towards the new male vampire. He had his arm outstretched as if he went to grab her and didn't have the chance to defend himself, before she had ripped his head off from his shoulders. Still holding it in her hand by his hair, she touched down on the ground and smiled wickedly. Tossing the head down next to his still body, she cast a wandless spell setting it alight.

"No." Margery screamed ready to run at Hermione in anger. The male vampire had obviously been her lover or mate by the reaction she had.

The big bulky vampire grabbed her and looked at Hermione.

"What the hell are you?" He asked, the fear radiating from him in waves. They had never seen a vampire witch before and were scared and curious about what they had just witnessed.

Hermione grinned menacingly, hoping her little killer act would frighten them off.

"I am your worst nightmare, it's nice to meet you." She said teasingly.

"Bitch." Margery yelled. Her eyes flickered from the burning body of her mate to the vampire who had just killed him. "You will pay for that."

Margery broke free from the bulky vampires grip and ran straight towards Hermione, who ran to meet her halfway. They began to engage in combat as the other two vampires looked on.

Hermione tossed Margery over her shoulder, but Margery was quick kicking at Hermione's ankles so that she fell onto the ground. The other female was stronger and Hermione was badly out of practice, but she wouldn't give up. She couldn't. Dumbledore, Remus and Severus needed her.

With that thought she flung Margery off of her, and watched as she went gliding across the grass. She quickly got to her feet and growled at Hermione.

"Get ready you bitch." She hissed out.

"Give it your best shot."

Before either one could make a move the three people Hermione was trying to protect came bursting out of the Chateau looking from Hermione, to the other three vampires, to the burning body, then back to Hermione.

"Watch out." Remus yelled.

Hermione had been momentarily distracted by their sudden appearance and taking advantage of that distraction, Margery ran wrapping her hands around Hermione's throat and flinging her onto the grass.

"Get the wolf." She called out to the other two vampires, who obeyed her orders at once.

The three wizards had their wands out as they cast spell after spell on the two vampires, without any of them working. There magic wasn't powerful enough against them. Hermione tried to punch Margery, but she managed to defend herself and instead crashed her fist down on Hermione's face. A small crack appeared on Hermione's cheek at the impact.

"No." Hermione yelled, her wandless magic bursting forth, flinging Margery high into the air. She managed to get to her feet and ran towards the three wizards, standing in front of them ready to strike, as the three vampires descended. Despite the fact that there were only three vampires and four of them, they were out powered. Hermione would need to take out all three of them in order to protect the others who were useless in this battle.

"Give up little girl. The wolf and all your friends are ours." Margery grinned menacingly, using Hermione's own words against her.

"Tut tut honestly my little witchling. Having a party and not inviting us, I truly am offended. And here I was thinking we were friends." A familiar voice said from behind the three vampires.

Every head whipped around to look at the new voice, and instantly relief filled Hermione. Never had she been more pleased to see members of the Volturi than she was at that moment. But of course these weren't just any members, these were her friends.

"Felix and Demetri I do apologise. But I believe this was a surprise party." Hermione joked.

Margery looked utterly offended as she pointed her finger at Hermione, noticing the Volturi crest the newcomers wore.

"This _thing_ is protecting a werewolf. We were only doing our duty in destroying it when she viciously killed my mate." Margery yelled out, sounding almost frantic.

"Is this true my little witchling. Are you protecting a werewolf and did you really kill this woman's mate?"

Hermione would have been worried if it wasn't for the playful glint in Demetri's eyes and the joyous smirk on Felix's face. She knew how the Volturi worked and knew the laws of their world, which she was knowingly breaking at this moment.

"Yes to both accusations." She admitted freely.

Demetri shook his head and tutted loudly, causing Margery's face to grow smug.

"I really didn't think you had it in you my little witchling. I must confess to rather liking this side of you." Demetri grinned.

Margery's smug smile faded at once, as a loud scream tore from her and she ran towards Hermione. Once again they engaged in combat and Hermione was quick to get the better of her opponent. She flipped Margery onto her back and ground her foot hard into the other woman's stomach.

"As I am a very nice person I will give you two options, either run now and leave this place, or keep this up and join you mate in a pile of ash. What's it going to be?"

Margery struggled underneath Hermione's strength. She screamed again and tried to push Hermione's leg off but failed.

"Go to hell." She hissed out.

"Very well then." Hermione bent over and picked Margery up by the scruff of her neck. She let out a feral roar, as she flew across the grass flinging Margery hard into a tree. With her back pressed firmly against the trunk, Hermione wrapped her hand against the vampire's throat squeezing it tightly. Small cracks began to appear and as Hermione pressed tighter the cracks deepened.

A hand reached out and touched Hermione's shoulder, and when she turned her gaze Dumbledore was standing there, concern written all over his weary face.

"Let her go Hermione. This isn't you."

Hermione's anger was palpable. She knew that if she let Margery go now she would just attack again and Hermione couldn't let that happen.

Her eyes turned to the onlookers who watched with a mixture of pride, amusement and sadness. She nodded her head in agreement as Dumbledore let out the breath he was holding.

Margery grinned as Hermione turned her head away, and as Dumbledore turned his back and began to walk away from them, Hermione finished off the job she had started and broke the other vampire's neck. She let go of the limp body and set fire to it exactly where it lay.

Hermione moved away, not daring to look at the disappointment that was no doubt on Dumbledore's face, as she walked to the other two vampires who had been with Margery. The look of fear was written all over their faces as Hermione made her way to them.

"Now Margery made the wrong decision so let's hope you both make the right one. Leave here in one piece or burn beside your friends. What shall it be?" Hermione stared unblinking at them, her presence had turned and was now commanding and intimidating.

"W-we'll l-leave." The bulky vampire said, pulling his mate away from the angry Hermione.

"Good now run. If I find you I will not hesitate in giving you the same fate as your friends." She said.

They did not need to be told twice, as they both ran from the group and into the trees as fast as they possible could. Hermione could feel their presence retreating at once, but her eyes never left the spot they had disappeared from. She wanted to make sure that they were gone first before she let her guard down. That had been a close call and if it hadn't been for Demetri and Felix's sudden appearance she wasn't sure what would have happened. She was powerful, but she was also out of practice, something that she would need to rectify at once.

"Well my little witchling, you've been away for less than a day and already you've gotten yourself in trouble. What are we going to do with you hmm?" Demetri walked up beside her, planting his arm around her shoulder.

"They were some pretty badass moves little witchling. I am impressed." Felix said joining them.

Hermione finally turned her eyes to them, ignoring the three wizards who looked on curiously.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you or anything but what they hell are _you_ doing here? And how the hell did you find us?" She suddenly asked.

Felix grinned and put his hand on Hermione's shoulder as well. So that she was stuck between the two grinning vampires.

"Well you see little witchling it was orders from the big man himself. He wanted us to keep an eye on you and make sure you weren't hurt. You sure do have his interest. I don't think I've ever seen him so protective over a member before."

Demetri smacked Felix's arm hard and shook his head no, not wanting him to say anything more about their leader. Whatever Aro's motives were when it came to Hermione, were his own and they didn't need to discuss it. Especially not in front of Hermione's three friends.

"And you forget my little witchling I am the top tracker that there is." Demetri stated proudly, if a little smug. Causing both Hermione and Felix to roll their eyes at his boasting. "You were rather easy to find since we have become friends."

"Speaking of friends aren't you going to introduce us to yours?" Felix said, letting go of Hermione and turning to face the three wizards. He had already seen the old wizard earlier on; he didn't need to be shown who the werewolf was because he could literally smell him a mile away. And the last time he had seen the dark wizard was when they collected Hermione from Hogwarts.

"Yes of course sorry where are my manners?" Turning to the three wizards she said, "This is Albus Dumbledore who you met briefly today. He is the most powerful wizard in the world." She smiled warmly, still unable to meet his twinkling blue eyes.

"A pleasure." Dumbledore said shaking both their hands enthusiastically.

"Likewise." Demetri said with a small smile.

"This here is Remus Lupin. Not only is he a werewolf but he is also my best friend and a powerful wizard as well." As she introduced Remus to Demetri and Felix, her tone of voice held a hint of warning. She might like the two vampires, but in her eyes Remus had been her friend longer.

"No offense but forgive us for not shaking your hand." Demetri said, trying not to wrinkle his nose at the smell that came from the wolf.

Remus chuckled lightly and said,

"Don't worry about it, my little blood sucker here often tells me how much I smell like wet dog."

Hermione sniggered and shook her head fondly at him.

"It's true." She laughed. "And this is Severus Snape a powerful wizard and potioneer."

Demetri's eyebrow rose high up into his head as a small grin spread across his face. He looked Severus up and down then turned to look at Hermione.

"So this is Severus Snape, I have to say I approve wholeheartedly."

Hermione scowled at him, wishing the ground would open up and swallow her whole.

"Shut up you." She said, unable to hide her smile.

"Nice to finally meet the famous Severus Snape." Felix held out his hand to Severus, who reluctantly shook it in return. Pulling his hand away, he tucked it back into his robes and stared at the two vampires.

"And you are?" He questioned. The famous Snape-sneer plastered on his face. Hermione had mentioned them in conversation earlier and although he knew they were friends, he didn't realise just how close they seemed to be.

"I am Demetri, Hermione's other half in Volterra." He grinned playfully when he saw the look of annoyance pass across the dark wizard's face. Obviously he still harboured feelings for his little witchling.

"And I am Felix, Hermione's other, other half in Volterra." Felix chirped in, playing along with Demetri's little game.

"Bloody hell it's like the Golden Trio all over again." Remus smiled, rubbing his hand across his forehead.

"The what?" Felix asked.

Hermione smiled at the comparison. It was true though, somehow she always seemed to become friends with two males and ended up stuck in between them.

"Remember I told you about the stories of me growing up in Hogwarts and the adventures I had with my two best friends Ron and Harry. Well everyone used to call us the Golden Trio and the name kind of stuck throughout the years." Hermione explained.

"So you've upgraded to bigger and better now." Felix said puffing out his chest.

Hermione laughed at his antics and pushed his arm, but he was so sturdy and hard that he barely moved.

"Would you tell us stories about our little witchling? I think it would be fascinating getting to know what she was like." Demetri asked, genuinely curious about her.

So they all headed inside and sat around the livingroom, as Dumbledore and Remus exchanged stories about Hermione during her younger days. She was mortified by some of the things she had done and said, especially when it came to S.P.E.W and her boggart of Professor McGonagall saying how she had failed all her exams and wasn't clever enough to be a witch. Felix and Demetri took great pleasure in laughing at her naivety and couldn't believe how much of a bookworm and swat she was.

They also spoke about some of the escapades she, Ron and Harry had gotten up to throughout the years. Telling them from their own perspectives rather than from Hermione's. It was amazing to see two high ranking members of the Volturi guard sitting in conversation with a werewolf, their natural sworn enemy. It made her heart swell with joy as she watched all her friends interacting, without any hostility or prejudice.

The only person who wasn't joining in with the conversation no matter how much they tried to coax him to, was Severus. He sat quietly in his chair sipping on a hot cup of tea, listening to what everyone was saying. Often Hermione felt his eyes lingering on her, but she tried to avoid him as much as possible.

What had happened earlier between them was a mistake, as much as she wanted it at the time, and as much as she wanted him still, she knew it wouldn't be allowed to happen again.

If it hadn't been for their guests interrupting them when they did, she would have given in and told him then and there exactly what it was that he wanted to hear. That she loved him and needed him. Even though that was true she couldn't get his hopes up again. She wanted to do the right thing, but why did the right thing have to feel so hard.

"Earth to my little witchling." Demetri's voice said, bringing her out of her thoughts.

She shook her head and looked at him.

"Hmm." She said having not heard a single word they had been saying for a while now.

"Your friends were saying how they were going to retire for the night. It is very late, or rather early, after all."

"Oh right, yes, of course." She said snapping herself back to reality. She looked at the three wizards and smiled rather shyly at them. "Thank you all for coming to see me, I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. I'm just sorry that you had to see that." Her eyes flickered over to Dumbledore who sat running his hand through his beard. The twinkle in his baby blue eyes was gone, and replacing it was the look of confusion.

Ever since Hermione turned into a vampire, he had always thought of her as one of them, even after what he witnessed on the grounds of Hogwarts, the two separate occasions she had killed the wolves. But seeing her today, something had shifted in her. The more primal side of her had come to light, as she baited and teased those vampires. She had known what she was going to do to them all along, and nothing he could have said or done would have changed her mind. It was only now that he realised just how different she was. This wasn't the little Hermione Granger he had watched growing up, this was a budding warrior, and she was quickly becoming a predator.

The vampire world was slowly changing her and she was right, Hogwarts could no longer be her home anymore. She had wonderful control regarding her instincts, but seeing her in full fighting mode, showed how fierce she really was. He couldn't let her near the students now. The change in her had shocked him but he knew that she was slowly becoming the person that she was meant to be and could not hold that against her, for she did not choose this life after all.

"Don't worry Hermione we all have to do things sometimes to protect the ones we love." Remus said, understanding how she felt. If anyone had tried to hurt the ones he loved, he would like to have thought that he too would do the exact same thing.

"Thanks Remus." She whispered sheepishly, not knowing if he was simply trying to placate her or not.

"Well good night everyone. I shall see you all in the morning." Dumbledore said, slowly rising from his chair and heading towards one of the spare bedrooms without looking back.

Hermione watched him leave, feeling her heart drop at the thought of her disappointing him. She really hoped that he would understand what she had done.

Remus put his hand gently on her shoulder and squeezed it affectionately.

"Don't mind him Hermione, he's just a little shocked by what happened. Give him a little time and he'll come around."

She placed her cold hand on his and returned the gesture by squeezing it gently.

"Thanks Remus."

"Good night gentlemen." Remus nodded in the direction of the other two vampires before he too headed towards a spare room. Once the door had closed firmly behind him, Demetri glanced towards Felix and beckoned him outside with a tilt of his head. Felix nodded and together they stepped out of the room silently, giving Hermione and Severus some time on their own.

Severus was grateful to them for giving him this chance with Hermione. Unlike Dumbledore, he wasn't shocked or disappointed by what he had saw Hermione do. In fact he was impressed.

"Remus is right you know, don't worry about what Albus Dumbledore thinks of you Hermione. He is a meddling old coot and always wants to see the good in everyone." Hermione was startled at hearing Severus's voice. When she turned to look around the room, she was even more surprised to see that they were alone. Everyone had gone and left them. Her body tensed slightly at this realisation.

"Perhaps I could have handled things differently." She whispered, looking down at her clasped hands that were lying in her lap.

Severus snorted at her words and shook his head.

"No you handled it the right way. If you had let her go she would have kept attacking you. She would have gotten to us one way or another. No, you done the right thing Hermione so don't think otherwise."

She sighed and leaned her head against the back of the couch, shutting her eyes.

"He thinks I'm a monster Severus." She said sadly.

He was swift and silent like a cat as he moved to sit beside her. Taking her hands in his he squeezed them in his own, and let his thumb run over her soft cold skin.

"You are not a monster Hermione, so never think that."

She looked at his pale face, as he sat watching her closely.

"Later today the three of you need to go back to Hogwarts. I need to go back to Volterra. This little excursion has to come to an end."

His body froze at her words; she was dismissing them.

"Why do you want us to leave so soon?" He asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer or not.

She sighed and tried to pull her hand from his, but he wasn't for letting go of her yet and she didn't want to break the bones of his hand by insisting he let go. So she relaxed somewhat.

"I think it's time that you left here. You've all seen me, you've seen that I'm fine so now you have to go back home."

"What about what happened earlier Hermione, I thought- I thought that meant something to you." His voice sounded pleading, even to his own ears but he didn't care. After what happened earlier he let himself believe that she wanted him. He let himself hope that perhaps they could be together. The passion and love they had for each other was still there, he could feel it but the only thing stopping them was her. She was afraid to let him in, afraid of the future they would have together. Now he felt all the hope dissolve as once again she prepared herself for walking away.

"Severus we can't do this. You know we can't. What happened earlier was a mistake it should never have happened. I-I can't keep hurting you like this. We are over."

She got up off the couch and went to head outside to join Demetri and Felix, but before she even got to the door Severus's voice called out to her.

"Hermione if you walk out on me again, that's it for us." He was barely grasping on to her with the tips of his fingers. He couldn't just give up on her without a fight, he just couldn't give up on them like that. He had to try, even if it meant begging and pleading. He had done that once before with Lily. After he had called her a mudblood he had camped outside the Gryffindor common room, becoming the laughing stock of the school. He had begged and pleaded for her forgiveness, which she had never given him. He had vowed to himself never to be that weak again, but here he was begging and pleading with Hermione. Someone he thought he would never to do that with. "Please Hermione, don't give up on us."

Her body became rigid, as she stopped at the door. She squeezed her eyes and shut them tightly, while she counted to ten, as she tried to get her emotions under control. She knew what she had to do, but that didn't make it any easier. So mustering all the strength and courage she had she calmly said,

"There was never going to be an us Severus. Goodbye." With those cold words, she left the Chateau, walking passed a worried looking Demetri and Felix and ran through the woods, not stopping until she was as far away from Severus as she could possibly be.

Screaming, she let go of all the pain she felt in her heart, as she fell to her knees in heaving sobs. She had never hated anyone more than she hated herself at that moment. She was selfish and pathetic, and had hurt the man she loved all because she couldn't stay away from him in the first place. She always knew it couldn't work between them and yet she had ignored that. And now look at them.

Anger and misery pulsated through her body, as her eyesight blurred with unshed tears. Slowly she rose to her feet and unable to control herself, wandless magic escaped her and she began to blow up pieces of trees and any objects she could make out. She poured all of her feelings into her magic as every raw emotion was ripped out of her body. She didn't stop until her tears had stopped, and she felt completely drained.

Sinking back down to her knees she hugged her body tightly, before curling up on the forest floor in the fetal position. This pain was so much worse than when she turned into a vampire. It was so much worse than when she starved herself almost to madness. That pain she could handle, but this, this was by far the worst.

So consumed in her misery was she, Hermione didn't hear the two vampires walk slowly towards her. Nor did she hear them sit down next to her, or notice when Felix pulled her into his strong arms, cradling and rocking her as if she was a small baby.

"We're sorry little witchling, we really are." Felix whispered soothingly to her. Pressing a small affectionate kiss on top of her head.

"Yeah we are." Demetri added, stroking her arm. "If anyone knows anything about forbidden love and not being allowed to be with that person it's us." He whispered softly.

Hermione looked up at Demetri's face and gasped.

"Us as in you and Felix." She whispered, trying to understand what he was saying to her.

Both vampires smiled at her, as they moved to clasp each other's hands.

"That's right little witchling, remember how I told you about that person I was seeing. Well I was talking about Felix. Everyone thinks we're just best friends but it's so much more." He whispered sadly.

"Demetri and I are mates, we belong together." Felix added.

Hermione sat upright and looked at her two friends, feeling honoured that they were sharing this intimate part of their lives with her, considering they hadn't known her for very long.

"If that's true then why haven't you told everyone yet? Surly they would be pleased that you have found each other." Hermione asked curiously.

They looked at each other before Demetri said,

"You have so much to learn about the ways of the Volturi my little witchling. They are all for members finding mates and living happily ever after in the Palazzo. But they are also old fashioned with it."

"They believe that only males and females should be mated together, that is the conventional way. Two males together is seen as being wrong. They would not accept us, even if we did say we were mated. To them that isn't possible." Felix added.

"So all this time you have kept it a secret. How have you gotten away with it?" Hermione asked.

Demetri sighed lying back on the grass, with Hermione and Felix soon following his actions, as the three of them gazed up at the twinkling stars.

"Unfortunately to escape suspicion we often have to court other women. Neither of us particularly likes doing it, for it's a betrayal of our love. But there is no other option."

The three friends lay on the grass in silence, mulling over their disastrous love lives. Why did finding love have to be so hard? Why could it not be simple for them?

Hermione knew that she and Severus would never work, but for Demetri and Felix there was still hope, there was still a chance for them and she could help. After all was she not a witch.

Sitting bolt upright she giggled slightly as a plan formed in her head.

"You know I have the perfect solution to your situation."

"Enlighten us my little witchling." Demetri said.

"Well one of you could pretend to be courting me. No-one would find it suspicious if the one I was seeing came in and out of my room a lot."

Felix frowned at her then asked,

"How is that a solution to our predicament?"

She grinned at him wickedly and said,

"Well this is where the genius part comes in. I'm a witch so when the one who is courting me comes into my room, I can apparate them to the others room. That will mean you can see each other in secret and no-one will know any differently. Plus it keeps the suspicion off of you both and I will hold no romantic expectations from you either."

Both Felix and Demetri lay back in silence as they thought over her words. They didn't get to spend that much time together in private, because there was only so much time that was acceptable for two male friends to spend with each other, without drawing suspicion. With Hermione's help they could change that. They could spend more alone time together and one of them could pretend to court Hermione, someone they trusted enough with their secret. It sounded good and so it was possible that it just might work.

They looked at each other, both coming to the same conclusion.

"Well my little witchling it looks as if you may be onto something. Would you really do that for us?" Demetri asked, amazed by the kindness that their friend was showing towards them. She really was such a remarkable person and they were lucky to have her.

"Of course I would. At least maybe then one of us could have a happily ever after." She whispered quietly, trying not to think of Severus or her broken heart.

"Then we accept. The only thing is you need to decide which of us handsome sexy vampires you want to court you." He replied.

"Yeah do you want brains?" Felix said pointing his finger at Demetri. "Or do you want brawns." He lifted up his arms in a macho man way and grinned.

Hermione giggled at his actions and shook her head, wondering what the heck she was letting herself in for.

"Well how about since Aro and Sulpicia are already suspicious of us, we make them believe that they were right." She said looking towards Demetri.

"Yes that means I get to do that cool apparating thing with you again." He smirked.

Both men hugged her at the same time, truly cementing their little trio reputation.

"Thanks little witchling we can't thank you enough for this." Felix said.

"Don't-" Hermione began unable to finish her sentence, as pain crashed through her head and images flashed in her mind. She gasped at the severity of the images, not feeling anything like that since the first premonition she had back at Hogwarts. How was it still possible to have Alice's power?

Once the image had stopped, she held her head in her hands and moaned loudly.

"Hermione are you alright what on earth was that." Felix said, trying to hold her upright.

She turned a serious face towards him and simply said,

"We need to get back to Volterra. _Now_." She emphasised the last word letting them know how urgent it was. Without any other spoken words, they headed back to the Chateau to inform the others that they would be leaving immediately. She had to speak to Aro and the other two leaders as quickly as possible.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Hermione, Demetri and Felix entered the Chateau quickly and in silence. They had tried to speak to Hermione, to make some sense about what had just happened but she was having none on if it. Whatever she had seen left her feeling deeply troubled. So with a serious determination she packed her little beaded bag, not that she had much to pack in the first place, then quickly cast a cleansing charm on herself, before changing her clothes.

"What are you doing?" Felix asked as he watched Hermione pull out a piece of paper and a pen from her bag.

She looked up at him with irritation written all over her face, as if he had just asked her the most obvious question then said,

"I'm leaving them a note; I don't want to wake them up again." She felt guilty at abandoning her friends but she had no time to spare, not after the vision she had just seen.

"Hermione you can't just leave them a note, they are your friends and deserve better than that. Besides if you just leave without saying anything they will come to Volterra to find you. Is that what you really want?" He replied, the implication of his words evident in the look that he gave her.

"Felix is right my little witchling you can't just leave without saying anything first. Also, what if those two vampires come back, your friends won't be able to defend themselves against such an attack."

Hermione sighed knowing that they were right, if she left and anything happened to them she would never forgive herself. And Dora would never forgive her either if something happened to her beloved husband.

"Alright then." With a wave of her hand she produced her bat patronus then said, "Wake up and come to the living-room now. I need to speak to you, it's urgent." Once the message was recorded she told the patronus to go to all three wizards.

Felix and Demetri watched the brilliant white light fly through the Chateau, totally mesmerised and in awe of the things Hermione could do with her magic.

She stood pacing back and forth in front of the fire as she waited on the three wizards to join them, trying to make sense of the images she had just seen. She was restless and needed to get back to Volterra as quickly as she could, but felt guilty at cutting the surprise visit short.

Movement and noise broke her thoughts, as a sleepy looking Remus and Dumbledore walked into the living room. Severus on the other hand looked just as he normally did, although his face was slightly paler than usual. He looked bewildered as he saw the other two other wizards join him, and refused to look directly at Hermione.

Normally she would have felt a pang of hurt and regret at his actions but at the moment she couldn't think about him or what happened between them, just a mere couple of hours ago.

"What is the meaning of this Hermione?" Dumbledore asked his voice still gravelly from sleep and irritation at being woken up yet again.

Hermione still paced back and forth before she said,

"I must return to Volterra immediately. I-I had a vision and honestly I know it isn't a good one, but I can't make sense of it. I need to show it to Aro as quickly as possible."

Dumbledore sat up abruptly and looked at Hermione, and felt dread wash over him. Whatever had her so riled up wasn't good at all, which meant that the vision she saw was serious and therefore couldn't be ignored.

"Very well then, give me an hour and I will come back to Volterra with you." He replied calmly.

"I will come too." Remus added, not liking the fact that his best friend was obviously upset.

Hermione finally stopped pacing and turned to Remus, wide eyed with shock. She shook her head no then said,

"Remus are you insane, have you any idea what the Volturi would do to you if you show up at their home." She couldn't believe what he had just suggested. How could he even think of doing something so foolish?

"Hermione's right Remus, if you show up at the Palazzo you risk your life. It's not worth it. We can take Hermione back with us; I promise you she will be fine and safe." Demetri said.

He had been a member of the Volturi for hundreds of years and knew their ways inside out. Normally he wouldn't hesitate in destroying one of those savage beasts, he even took enjoyment from it, but Remus Lupin was different. He was shy and timid, he was friendly and courteous. He accepted Hermione for who she was and loved her unconditionally, despite the fact that they were supposed to be mortal enemies. He even accepted Demetri and Felix and didn't appear prejudiced against them. In fact, he spoke and treated them like they were old friends. He didn't even take offence when they had mentioned how bad he smelled to them; joining in and making a joke about it himself.

The truth was that even though they hadn't known each other long, Demetri found that he rather liked the werewolf and even respected him to a point. Remus wasn't like any other werewolf he had ever met; he wasn't savage or beastly. And because of that he wouldn't like to see Remus hurt in any way. The others in the Volturi didn't know him and if he just showed up amidst their coven they wouldn't hesitate in destroying him. Remus would never stand a chance against them.

"So how do you suppose on getting back to Volterra then Hermione?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

She turned her attention to him and thought for a moment before saying,

"I think I could apparate me, Demetri and Felix back at once. I need to get back there as quickly as possible. It means you will be left here though."

Severus who had thus far stayed quiet, simply listening to the conversation that was going on around him finally spoke up.

"And what about the Marcus situation? What are you going to tell him?" Although he was hurting by their earlier confrontation, the thought of leaving Hermione again pained him even more. He thought he would get the chance to change her mind later in the day, he knew she loved him, he just had to get her to realise how much. But now that things had changed, so did his last chance, and he wasn't quite ready to admit defeat. Not yet anyway.

"I'm sorry but I don't follow what you mean." Hermione said unable to look into his eyes. She didn't want to see any of the emotions that they held.

Severus sighed, as if he was bored at her question.

"Well you cannot possibly carry out the task that Marcus wants you to perform." He stated as if it was the most obvious answer. "Not without the use of your wand anyway. You are adept a wandless magic but it is dangerous and unpredictable against the mind."

She frowned in confusion and asked,

"So what are you suggesting then Severus?"

He shrugged his shoulders and sat back against the chair.

"Well I am the best person to perform such a task, I think it might be best that I come to Volterra with you." His voice sounded calm but he felt nervous, hoping that she would take the bait so that he could spend some extra time with her. He wasn't ready to say goodbye to her.

Hermione tensed at his words. What he said was the truth, out of everyone he was the best at altering people's memories; after all he was the one who altered her parent's memories. But like with Remus she didn't like the idea of Severus being in Volterra, it was far too dangerous for him and she couldn't risk it. She was torn now because she wanted to help Marcus, but not at the expense of Severus. She nervously began to chew on her bottom lip as she thought over his words.

"You know Severus is right Hermione. He is far better at it than I. So may I also make a suggestion?" Dumbledore said running his hand through his long beard.

"Go ahead." Hermione replied unable to believe that Dumbledore would be so accepting of Severus going to Volterra with her, knowing the hassle that he himself had to endure to see her.

"How about this then, I shall apparate Demetri and Felix back with me, I think my magic is stronger for apparition than what yours is at the moment. And you can apparate Severus for he doesn't know what the Palazzo looks like." He gave Remus an apologetic smile then said, "I do believe it will be best if you remained here Remus. If anyone should come, you can simply activate your portkey and escape. Severus and I can return back to Hogwarts using mine."

Remus didn't look at all happy by this but didn't say anything. He knew why they were so concerned and why they didn't want him to go to Volterra with them, but still. It irked him that he couldn't help in some way and had to be left behind yet again.

Hermione's gaze briefly moved to Severus, she wanted to see how he would react to Dumbledore's suggestion, but just like the Professor she knew back in her schooldays, he appeared indifferent. She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed by his lack of reaction at apparating with her.

"Alright then I guess that's the plan. You and Severus can get washed and dressed and have something to eat. We will meet back here in an hours' time, as I'm going to go and feed before we leave for Volterra." Things had changed back in Volterra with regards to her feeding habits. She was now allowed to keep feeding from animals instead of humans after the last debacle. But she thought she would take this opportunity while she could to go hunting for her meal.

"Very well then, we shall all meet back here in an hour, for it would be better if we all left at the same time." He looked at the two male vampires who grinned and nodded their heads enthusiastically, then to Severus who simply got up and headed to his room.

"We will come with you little witchling." Felix said smiling at her.

"Yes we don't want you getting into any more trouble now do we?" Demetri said grinning wildly at her.

"Funny." She replied unable to hide her own smile from them.

Just as they were leaving the Chateau she heard Demetri say to Felix,

"Honestly wait until you apparate, it's the strangest feeling." He was incredibly excited about trying this again.

"What exactly does it feel like?"

Demetri paused for a minute as he thought about the best way to answer Felix then said,

"Imagine being pulled through a tunnel and spinning uncontrollably. That's what it feels like. It's such a strange feeling and it makes you feel like you're going to vomit." He laughed at the look on Felix's face.

"I'm not sure I really want to apparate back. Maybe I should just hit the road and get to Volterra first." He patted his stomach as he thought of what could happen when apparating.

"Oh stop being a little baby." Hermione grinned at him. "If I can do it then so can you."

Felix frowned at her words then said,

"You've had more experience than what we have though. So you're used to it by now."

Hermione laughed then said,

"Maybe so, but even I had to learn how to do it at one point. I used to have the world's worst travel sickness and believe me the first few times I apparated I did actually vomit everywhere." She grimaced at the memory. It really hadn't been pleasant the first time she had apparated. Not only was she sick on herself but she was also sick on the instructor and three other students, she had been utterly mortified by the experience. It was safe to say that apparating hadn't come naturally to her and she had been disappointed by that, so worked harder than anyone else to finally pass her test. "We've all got to start somewhere. Demetri was brave enough to try it, so you're not going to tell me that he can do it and you can't." She said teasing him, by striking at his male ego.

Felix, as she expected, puffed out his chest and stood taller. He would not be beaten by Demetri it seemed.

"If he can do it then so can I."

She shook her head while walking away from them, stifling her laughter. Men were so predictable, she thought. Well some men were. The only exception to that rule was Severus; he was never predictable he was always different, which made him utterly fascinating and the most interesting person that she knew. She scolded herself at the sudden change in thoughts. Now was not the time to be thinking of Severus Snape. She had more pressing matters to worry about at the moment.

She sniffed the air looking for her prey and once she had caught the animal's scent she took off into a sprint. She missed the freedom of being able to run and hunt for her food. She missed being able to use her natural instincts and enhanced senses for this kind of thing. In Volterra they did the same thing with her food as they done with their own. They simply brought her a live animal to feed on. There was no hunting, no running, and no freedom.

She quickly scaled a tall tree and began to jump from branch to branch. It felt so good being able to use her whole body again. She could feel that Demetri and Felix weren't too far away from her, remaining behind at a safe distance, allowing her to hunt for her prey in peace. She knew that they too were probably enjoying this freedom as well.

They basically said as much, after Hermione had fed and they were making their way back to the Chateau to the three wizards. Their eyes shone brightly with giddy happiness, as they were just as exhilarated by the experience as what she was.

"You know I actually can't remember the last time we done anything like that." Demetri said.

"The closest thing we've come to having that much fun, is when we're out looking for lawbreakers." Felix replied.

"Yeah and even then it's not as fun as what that was." Demetri grinned.

Felix turned to Hermione and grimaced, although the twinkle in his eyes rivalled that of Dumbledore's.

"It was rather disgusting seeing you feeding from an animal though. That is just not natural." Felix said jokingly.

Hermione laughed at the irony of the situation, being a vampire wasn't natural, neither was being a witch she supposed.

"Oh and seeing you feed from human beings was a picnic for me as well." She replied jokingly, although she was trying hard not to picture what she had witnessed that day.

The three vampires were silent as they stepped into the Chateau to see all three wizards sitting drinking tea, after having washed, dressed and eaten breakfast. The smell of soap and cooked food was evident the moment they stepped inside the room.

Sitting in the corner of the room were their packed bags. Hermione felt her heart sink at the sight knowing that once they had been to Volterra, Dumbledore and Severus would come back here to meet Remus before heading back to Hogwarts. Once they left her at the Palazzo she wouldn't know if or when she would be able to see them again and this thought made her heart feel heavy in her chest. Maybe it would be for the best, having a fresh start away from them. She shook the thoughts from her head then turned to look at the bizarre group of people.

She tried not to laugh as she thought of the most powerful wizard in the world sitting with two Volturi vampires, a werewolf, a powerful wizard and a vampire witch. It was just so surreal. She could never have imagined anything like this in her life.

"Are we ready?" She suddenly said.

"I believe so." Dumbledore nodded walking to the center of the room where the two vampires were currently standing.

Hermione turned her attention to Remus, who had stood up from his chair to embrace her in a tight hug.

"You take care of yourself you hear me and don't be afraid to write. I am your best friend blood sucker and no matter what, I will always be here for you." He squeezed her again before pulling away to look at her.

"Thanks Remus, you take care as well. Feel free to write to me and let me know when that beautiful little boy of yours is born. Tell Dora I was asking for her."

"I will do. Right you need to get going." Remus said with a sigh.

Hermione walked towards Severus, suddenly feeling nervous about where to put her hands. He made it easier for her by wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into his body slightly, just like he had done when they shared that kiss earlier on.

For the first time since she had walked away from him saying goodbye and breaking his heart, she finally looked up into his eyes. Instead of seeing hurt or pain she saw a fiery determination blazing in their depths. She was completely lost in them as Dumbledore began to speak.

"Alright on the count of three Hermione we apparate together. Ready?" Dumbledore said.

"Yes." Her voice was barely a whisper as she gazed up at Severus, once again feeling like she was losing her resolve. The more time she spent with him the harder it was to say goodbye, or deny her feelings.

"One." Dumbledore began. "Two." He continued. "Three."

What happened next happened so fast that Hermione barely had time to react. Just as Dumbledore counted down to three, she had been so lost in Severus at that moment, that when she apparated away she hadn't realised Remus had moved and was holding on to her. She jumped and when they entered the dome room the three of them all crashed onto the floor.

Dumbledore, Felix and Demetri all stood gazing at the three tangled bodies on the ground, in shock and confusion. None of them believing what had just happened.

Severus pulled himself to his feet, while Hermione rolled over angrily pinning Remus to the ground.

"What the hell do you think you are doing? You could have bloody splinched us." She yelled, watching as his face turned a deep shade of red.

"I-I don't know what I was thinking, it was a spur of the moment thing." He said sheepishly.

"A spur of the moment thing. Remus have you any idea what you have just done." She hissed out. Getting to her feet she helped him stand before a familiar voice made her stomach clench.

"What is that disgusting stench?" Jane said, in her sickly sweet voice. Hermione spun around to face her, only to see her eyes beaming with joy as they landed on Remus. "You dare bring a werewolf here." She said triumphantly. "My Masters may have excused your earlier misdeeds but they will not excuse you this time." Her eyes gleamed as she turned her gaze towards Hermione. "Move aside the wolf is mine."

Hermione was fast, as she pushed Severus beside Remus and Dumbledore casting a protective shield around them before moving to stand in front of the shocked wizards. She immediately moved into the defensive position, while glaring at the young vampire who dared threaten the ones she loved.

"I have already destroyed two vampires today so believe me Jane when I say, that if you come anywhere near them I will add number three to that list." Her voice was calm and steady but the anger she felt radiated from every part of her body.

"You think I am scared of you." Jane sneered, although the flicker of fear in her eyes betrayed her bravado. "We will see what my Masters have to say about this. But believe me Hermione when I say, that the wolf will be mine and I will take great pleasure in destroying the foul smelling beast." She smiled smugly at Hermione, but the smile was soon wiped of her pretty little face.

Hermione's wandless magic burst forth from her hands, causing Jane to be lifted up into the air kicking and scrabbling at her neck. It felt as though an invisible force was squeezing hard against her throat.

"I will destroy you first before you ever get that chance." Hermione growled out.

Just then the three leaders walked into the dome room having just been alerted to what was going on. Aro's eyes glowed brilliantly when he saw Hermione in all of her glory using her magic against Jane. She was magnificent in her splendour. Then he caught the stench of a werewolf. Looking behind Hermione he saw, to his surprise the old wizard first, then he caught sight of the wolf and finally, his eyes narrowing he saw the dark wizard.

His own anger boiled to the surface as he saw his rival, reach out to touch Hermione. There was some kind of bubble over them acting like a barrier to stop him reaching her.

Good, Aro thought with bitter jealousy. He would not tolerate the dark wizard touching his mate in any manner.

"Hermione what a surprise." He said his voice sounding overly cheery as he tried to control his jealous rage. "And I see you have brought us guests." The three Volturi leaders sat down on their thrones not wanting to get close to the powerful wrath of Hermione. "Please let Jane down so that we may discuss the problem at hand."

Hermione's eyes flickered over to Aro and she felt her anger begin to simmer down. This caused Jane to slowly drift back to the ground and the feeling of her throat being constricted lessoned.

The moment she was free from Hermione's magic, she growled at Hermione before charging at her. Hermione disappeared in a blink of an eye before reappearing behind Jane. She grabbed the other female vampire before tossing her along the floor and pinning her to the ground.

"Give up now and stop trying my patience." Hermione yelled, trapping Jane with a furious glare. Demetri came over then and pulled Hermione off; she went willingly as he spoke soothing words of comfort in her ear.

"Hermione calm down, this is not the time for violence. Remember why we are here."

She turned to see the shocked faces of the three wizards and then turned her attention to the three leaders. Marcus looked worried, Caius looked disgusted and Aro simply looked intrigued.

"Now Hermione, as much as it pleases me to see that you have returned home," Aro said, pleased to note the furious scowl on the dark wizard's face at his use of the word 'home'. "I must ask what all this is about and why these wizards are here."

Hermione felt herself relaxing slightly at the sound of his voice, for some reason his tone always made her feel comfortable, despite her better judgement.

"First of all I want everyone apart from the leaders, Demetri and Felix out of this room now. Second of all my friends brought me back here quickly because I have something important to share with you. And thirdly if anyone dares threatens my friends again, then we will apparate back where we came from and I will leave here and not return. Do I make myself clear?"

Aro tried in vain to hide the thrill of pleasure that ran through his body at hearing her sound so commanding and domineering. If he had his way, she would make a wonderful extra addition to the Volturi leaders, not only as his mate but as his equal in every possible way.

His opinion was not shared by his younger brother however, who took offence at what she had just said.

"You dare issue us with an ultimatum." Caius hissed out. "While you bring one of those beasts into our home? If you expect us to just sit back and allow this to happen then you are very much mistaken. I will not tolerate this law breaking, not from you or from anyone." To say that Caius was shocked by her sudden change in behaviour was an understatement. He knew that she could sometimes be uncontrollable with her magic, but never did he expect her to be so defiant in her behaviour.

"If that's what you want then fine, but before you decide how about I tell you why I rushed all the way here wanting to speak to the three of you." She held her head up confidently and gazed at the three of them before saying, "I had a vision regarding the Volturi but I cannot explain it until everyone has left the room."

Aro was intrigued as he gazed at his two brothers looking for answers. Caius didn't appear happy about it, but Marcus seemed concerned.

"Very well. Everyone except from Felix and Demetri may leave." Marcus finally said, making the decision for the three of them.

Jane looked positively furious as she left the dome room. She hated the fact that once again Hermione had bested her and she had gotten her own way.

Once the room was empty except for the people she had mentioned, Hermione cast a silencing spell on the room, so that anyone who tried to listen in wouldn't be able to hear anything. Once that was done she turned back to the three leaders.

Aro, who had been watching her intently, decided to take this opportunity and find out some information for himself.

"Since we are complying with your wishes how about you comply with one of mines. You have brought the dark wizard and the wolf here into our home. How do I know this isn't a trick or that they're not a threat to us?" He smiled sweetly standing up and walking over to the group, his hands clasped together as he looked from the wolf to the dark wizard. "I will not harm your friends if the two newcomers will let me see their thoughts. I will let them go if I deem them to be of no threat to us." He smiled smugly towards Hermione then said, "I think that is pretty generous don't you agree Hermione. Since technically the wolf should be punished by death."

Her body instantly stiffened at the hidden threat. If they didn't comply then he would kill them. She wouldn't let that happen.

"And how do I know you won't kill them anyway." She growled out.

Aro smiled at her sweetly then said,

"Mio caro Hermione would I ever lie to you." He said, almost able to hide the sincere pleading in his voice.

She snorted at his words before saying,

"There's every possibility." She sighed before turning to Remus and Severus. "If you agree then I will have to cancel the protection spell, but know I am right here."

They nodded in agreement, although Severus did not look at all pleased as he eyed Aro up.

"Excellent." Aro grinned clapping his hands together in joyous excitement.

Hermione cancelled the spell and watched closely as Remus stepped forward to Aro nervously. His face was pale as he stood in front of the intimidating vampire.

"You know, never has a werewolf stepped foot in the Palazzo dei Priori before and lived. You should feel honoured that you're getting that chance now." Aro smiled, a smile that could not be trusted.

Remus gulped but held Aro's penetrating gaze.

"I would be more honoured at leaving here in one piece." Remus said, wondering why he had stupidly jumped on Hermione when they were apparating. He must be insane, was the conclusion that he eventually came up with.

Aro smirked as he held out his hands to Remus, who turned to get Hermione's approval. When she slowly nodded her head, her body tensed just in case she had to jump in. Remus placed his hands in Aro's cold ones. Unlike with Hermione, he didn't hide his flinch at feeling just how cold the vampire was.

Aro covered Remus's hand with his own and closed his eyes, as image after image flashed through his mind. It was so interesting seeing the life of a werewolf, their enemy. The experience was both thrilling and exciting.

After a few moments he finally opened his eyes and let go of the werewolf's hands, a small smile spreading across his face.

"How extraordinary." He turned to his brothers and said, "This wizard may be a werewolf but he is unlike any we have ever met before." Caius snorted and Aro instantly turned to glare at him. "You doubt my words brother." He said with some annoyance.

"Of course not brother, but I was of the belief that all werewolves were savage beasts."

"This one is not. You see he was bitten as a small boy and grew up hating the wolf inside of him. He sees it as a curse not a blessing. He doesn't run with other wolfs although he has the potential to be an alpha one day. He appears to be a good caring person and believe it or not is Hermione's best friend." He turned to look at the wolf in question, whose face had turned a great shade of red. "He hates the wolf so much that every month during the full moon he takes a potion to stop his wolf side taking full control. Honestly it is remarkable. He does not take any pleasure from killing or attacking innocents, only those who threatens the ones he loves." He smiled at Remus, who wasn't sure if the vampire was admiring him or mocking him in what he was saying. "There is nothing savage or beastly about you mio amico, you would make a fine guard dog."

Remus blushed heavily and stood back, he couldn't believe Aro had gotten all that information from just one simple touch. It was amazing. While Hermione stood glaring at the vampire for insulting her friend.

Aro's eye moved greedily over to Severus, he was the one whose thoughts he was most excited about seeing. He wanted to know everything about the relationship he had with Hermione. Maybe then, once Aro knew all the facts, he could turn that information and use it to his own advantage.

"I believe you're next." Aro said smiling at Severus.

Severus was not a coward, but he did not like the idea of this vampire seeing his thoughts. So he made sure that he had occluded his mind, not knowing if his occlumency would hold or not. Even if it didn't he was determined not to make things easy for the vampire.

Stepping forward briskly, he held his hands out and made no move when Aro wrapped his hands around his own. As a skilled Occlumens he knew what it felt like when someone entered your mind. If they were gentle it felt like a small tingle probing into your mind. That was the way Dumbledore used to do it. Voldemort had been much more aggressive in his pursuit of information. He tore through your mind until he had found the right memories and when he left your mind, he would leave you with a thumping sore head, your nose bleeding and sometimes he would leave you conscious, if he was being nice.

But what Severus felt when Aro tried to see his memories was completely different. It almost felt like his thoughts were being pulled involuntarily to the front of his mind, it was gentle and almost like an encouraging caress. Aro wasn't looking for one single memory he was looking for all of them. The moment Aro got close to seeing Severus's thoughts, his was automatically shut down, stopping the vampire from prying.

Aro let go of Severus's hands and glared at him.

"You resist me." He simply said.

Severus smirked, glad that he was able to beat the vampire at his own game.

"I apologise it's a force of habit." He replied holding out his hands once more. This time when Aro took his hands, Severus did not shut down the walls to his mind. Aro was more aggressive in his pursuit as he looked through Severus's every thought and memory, almost as if he was flicking through the pages of a book very quickly. He only slowed down when the wizard's memories turned to Hermione. He saw their first kiss, the first time they made love and the recent confrontation they had just had where Hermione had ended it once and for all.

Severus felt his anger well up as these private images flashed through his mind, and all at once he pushed Aro from his thoughts so quickly and so hard, that Aro was thrown to the ground.

"Those are private." Severus hissed. "Let's see how you like it." Unable to stop himself he cast Legilimens on Aro whose eyes widened in shock, as Severus delved into his mind aggressively. Tearing through his memories until he had seen the ones he had of Hermione, he saw and felt everything and feeling repulsed he left the vampire's mind immediately.

He stood glaring at the Volturi leader who looked furious at just having had his mind invaded.

"Tell me why I should not kill you right here on the spot." Aro said, his boyish charming voice gone.

Severus grinned smugly and moved closer to the vampire and whispered,

"Because if you done that, she would never forgive you and you would have lost."

Aro's eyes flickered briefly to Hermione and he knew that the words the wizard spoke were the truth.

"That may be true. But from what I could see from your own memories it seems that you have already lost. Am I wrong." Aro tried hard not to show his triumph as he saw the dark wizard visibly tense, and the warning sneer appear on his face. Still not satisfied however, he pressed on. "From what I could gather this would not be the first time you lost either. Who was the beautiful red haired girl with the vibrant green eyes, the one who captured your heart a long time ago. Who still holds your heart now?"

Unable to hide his anger, Severus pulled out his wand and pointed it directly towards Aro's forehead.

In a quiet deadly voice, he simply said,

"Do not speak of her to me, you have no right."

Aro smiled smugly and stepped closer to the dark wizard, so that the tip of the dark wizard's wand pressed into his skin.

"It appears that I have hit a nerve." Aro's eyes briefly flickered over to Hermione, who was watching the scene unfold with some curiosity. While Felix held onto her arm preventing her from stepping in. Returning to look back at the dark wizard Aro said, "Not only do I see your memories I also feel what you feel. You love the redhead girl, you always have and always will despite how much you protest. Your heart can't let her go. Isn't that right?"

Severus looked down his nose at the Volturi vampire and felt his anger flare. How dare he talk about such things, things that he had no right to speak of.

"You know nothing of how I feel." Severus seethed.

"On the contrary, I know everything."

Before the situation could escalate any further, Hermione was finally able to pull out of Felix's grip and move between the two arguing men. Pushing them apart she stood in the middle with annoyance written over her face. Partly because of their childish behaviour but also because she wondered if what Aro said was true. Did Severus still love Lily?

"Will you two shut up and concentrate on what's important here. I came back to Volterra because I had a vision, not for you to get into a sparring match."

"Hermione is right brother." Marcus said walking up behind Aro and placing a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder. Just as Dumbledore came up and done the same thing to Severus.

"Let us hear what Hermione has to say." He said.

Neither Aro nor Severus made to move, causing Hermione to roll her eyes at the display. Using wandless magic, she was able to push Aro back towards his throne, then pushed Severus back next to Remus. So shocked was he at her magic he simply turned a seething glare onto her.

Hermione put her hands on her hips and glared right back at him.

"Well you would act like a bloody dunderhead." Her words caused several sniggers to sound in the room. "Anyway." She said steering the conversation into a new direction. "The vision I had was not a normal one, instead of it being a full vision like it normally is, it was like several images put together. I saw the Romanian flag and a letter being delivered to the Romanian Coven with the Volturi seal on it. I saw a clock and a large army gathering in wait ready to fight against you. And I saw the Volturi crest fall broken to the ground."

Aro, at hearing the Romanians being mentioned, suddenly felt curious and wanted to see the image for himself.

"May I see it." He asked walking towards Hermione. He stretched his hands out to her and watched as her gaze flickered from his face, to them, then back to his face.

Not wanting to touch him, she stepped closer towards him and looked straight into his eyes, trying hard not to let her mind focus on the pull she felt, or the thrill of being this close to him.

"Legilimens." She whispered before showing him the vision that she had seen.

No matter how often she used that spell, Aro could not get over his excitement at the way she could so easily enter someone's mind to look at or to show memories, without the need to touch them. To him it was astonishing.

Once he had seen it all, he turned his back on her and sat on this throne, rubbing his chin thoughtfully and contemplating everything that he had just seen.

"Well brother, what does it mean." Caius asked curiously.

Before Aro had the chance to speak, Hermione suddenly said,

"I think it means that someone told the Romanian coven about me and now War is coming to the Volturi." At her quietly spoken words, a contemplative silence fell over the group, as each person became lost in their own thoughts.

 **Here is the Italian-English translation-**

 *** Mio caro- my dear**

 *** Mio amico- my friend**

 **If you have read TVWOH previously, then this chapter may seem a little different. That is because when I came to edit it, I noticed that half the chapter was gone and this was the only copy (thank god I had my notes lol). Xx**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Silence had descended on the occupants of the dome room as they all took in the severity of Hermione's words. For the Volturi leaders, it came as no surprise that the Romanian coven would want to start a War again, to try and win back the leadership they had lost. They hated everything that the Volturi stood for and despised them for conquering them all those thousands of years ago. But what was surprising however was the fact that not only were they trying to regain power but that they also wanted Hermione as well. News of the vampire witch in the Volturi wasn't common knowledge in the vampire world, so the question was who wrote that letter to the Romanian coven regarding Hermione being there.

"Tell us what you know." Marcus said while the others remained silent and in thought.

Hermione began to pace as she tried to put the information she had gathered into words. She wasn't sure where to begin because she could not answer all of that question, so instead she began by stating the obvious.

"Well in the vision I had there was a clock with the time and date on it. From that piece of information, it shows that the Romanians are planning their attack on the 20th February at nightfall."

"That gives us only six months to prepare." Caius said with a grim expression on his face. "It will take everything we have to gather our forces and ask our friends to join us. We do not have a lot of time to spare." He was the General of the Volturi guard and knew that they would not be nearly ready enough with only six months of preparation. "Did you see what the Romanian Covens army looks like?" He asked Hermione while rubbing his chin in thought.

Hermione nodded her head slowly then said,

"Yes, they have been preparing for War ever since that failed battle between yourselves and the Cullen's. They have been building up a newborn army and have been training them in combat. From the vision that I saw, I would say they had at least five hundred bodies willing to fight. Possibly even more."

Caius cursed as he thumped his closed fist hard against the arm of his throne.

"Damn it." He growled out in frustration before turning his gaze towards his brothers. "We have thirty-two members in the guard and another fifty members around the world. How are we supposed to fight against five hundred newborn and skilled vampires?" Caius said. He enjoyed nothing more than a challenge but even this seemed like the impossible to him.

Before anyone could answer however Hermione quickly said,

"Actually you have thirty-three members of the guard." She held her head up high as all three leaders turned to look at her. She didn't see Felix and Demetri glance at each other, with small excited smiles on their faces. Nor did she see Severus shut his eyes and sigh with defeat and fear.

Somehow he had known from the beginning of this conversation where her mind would go. She was a warrior and a fighter and she wasn't the type of person who turned her back and walked away from a situation like this. The moment she had spoken those words, his heart plummeted and he knew there was no changing her mind once it was made up.

"You wish to join the guard." Caius said with some disbelief.

"Yes. I may not agree with all the things you do but I respect the way in which you try to maintain the law of your world. The Romanian Coven seek to destroy your secrecy." She said honestly. "If I've to stay here also, then I may as well be productive and since they want me and everything, I should help. And if they think for one moment I'm going to make it easy on them then they have another thing coming."

Caius laughed and slowly clapped his hands with excitement. He enjoyed hearing her stubborn determination and hearing her fighting talk when it wasn't directed at them.

"That is all very good in theory but reality is a different matter entirely. You are not ready to be a guard member yet." He said.

Hermione's body stiffened at his words, as she did not take lightly to being told that she couldn't do something or wasn't good enough to do something. And so she would do everything in her power to prove him wrong.

"True but I can practice my spell work and I already have basic fighting skills, they're just a little rusty. You and Felix can teach me how to fight." She turned her head to Felix who grinned from ear to ear and nodded his head.

"She is indeed a skilled fighter although she can use some work. We saw her fighting skills earlier and I must say she makes quite the formidable opponent."

Aro frowned not liking this little piece of news.

"What happened earlier?" He asked trying to hide his concern for her.

"Four vampires were tracking Remus down, they wanted to get through me in order to reach him and I was having none of it. Three came from the front and one from behind." She smiled wickedly and said, "He was fairly easy to pick off but his mate wasn't very happy about that. She attacked and I destroyed her too. The other two vampires were not a threat, so we sent them away."

Aro frowned as she spoke. He didn't like the thought of Hermione in danger although he knew she could handle herself perfectly well. But still the thought of something happening to her left an ache in his chest, something he had never felt before.

"May I see the memory?" He asked standing up slowly and walking towards her. His eyes drank in the sight of her and it was only then that he saw the small crack on her cheek. It was beginning to heal but it would still take some time. "You are hurt." He whispered. Reaching out his hand he caressed her cracked cheek gently, forgetting momentarily where he was.

"Yes but it's nothing." Hermione said, feeling the connection they had make her body tingle at his intimate touch.

He pulled his hand away abruptly like he had just been burned, his eyes flickering around the room when he realised that there was an audience watching them curiously. He did not want his behaviour to be the focus of idle gossip, as he knew how quickly rumours passed amongst the coven members.

His gaze lingered on the dark wizard and the look on his face was furious. If looks could kill then Aro would be shot down dead right there on the spot, if he wasn't dead already of course.

"Good, now may I?" He held out his hands to her unsure if she would take them to show him the memories, or if she would do it her way.

Hermione briefly looked down at his open hands; normally she would show him the memories using legilimency, but for some unknown reason she wanted to feel his skin against her own again. Slowly she placed her hands in his and the connection she felt was imminent. It rushed through her body like an electric current.

He closed his eyes as he focused on the memory he wanted to see, ignoring all the other memories, despite the urge he felt to look through them all. He didn't think she would appreciate that very well and the last thing they needed just now was another scene, despite how much he enjoyed seeing her so worked up.

Hermione gazed at him in wonder as she felt him gently caress his way through the images until he had found the one he wanted to see. It wasn't at all like what she had expected it to feel like, for some reason she thought he would have been aggressive, tearing through her mind like it was nothing. He was not a patient man she suspected, and so seeing him now taking his time and being so gentle with her, caught her off guard.

After a few moments he opened his eyes and looked at her with undisguised awe.

"Caius brother Hermione is a little on the rusty side but she has so much potential." He moved away from Hermione and smiled at his brothers. "She just destroyed Margery Bergan the nomad and her mate."

Caius grinned almost viciously and turned his attention to Hermione. She really did have potential after all then.

"Really, now that is interesting. I must confess Hermione I am rather impressed. One afternoon away from here and you destroy her, that is quite a victory for you."

Hermione looked puzzled, as she gazed between the leaders expecting them to elaborate further, but when they didn't she sighed and asked,

"Alright then I'll bite, who is Margery Bergan?"

Caius chuckled slightly then said,

"She is a nomad who didn't take very kindly to our laws shall we say and decided to take things into her own hands, causing a few problems along the way. We have been looking for her and her friends for a while now. She was a shield so Demetri there couldn't track her down."

"What is a shield?" She asked curiously.

"Someone who is a shield can protect themselves and others from certain powers. Bella Cullen for example is one of the most powerful shields we have ever met. She can protect a number of people around her from Jane and Alec's powers, Aro could not see her thoughts and even her own husband could not read her mind using his gift. She blocked them all and was immune to their powers."

Hermione listened to his words carefully then began to pace as a million thoughts ran through her mind. The others watched her with amusement at the serious concentrated expression that she wore on her face.

Suddenly she stopped pacing and looked to the others.

"After seeing that letter in my vision what if there is a traitor in the Volturi, and what if that person was or knew someone who was a shield. Maybe that is why I didn't see the person who wrote it." She wasn't sure exactly how someone who was a shields power worked, but it could explain why she could not see the person who sent the letter.

"It is a possibility." Marcus said. "But we only have one person who is a shield in the Volturi and she is loyal to Aro."

Hermione frowned at this then asked a slightly obvious question,

"How do you know that if her shield makes her immune to other people's powers?"

Marcus quirked his lips up at her in slight amusement.

"Good question. The simple answer is that her power isn't like Bella's it does not block all powers. That means I can see the bond that she has with Aro and it's strong. She is loyal to him and to the Volturi."

For some reason Hermione felt a pang of jealousy at his words. Why should she care if someone had a strong bond with Aro or not? He was already married so had a bond with his wife anyway.

"How do you even know what you saw means a traitor in the Volturi?" Dumbledore who had been observing silently suddenly asked.

Hermione turned to the three wizards, having forgotten that they were still there. Feeling guilty she looked towards Severus who wore a serious expression on his pale face.

"The Volturi crest was broken and was falling to the ground. I gathered it could mean one of two things, that either the person who sent the letter is from inside the Volturi and wants to break away from the coven, or it's someone from the outside."

"Isn't the Romanians wanting War the answer to that." Severus asked.

Hermione shook her head in the negative.

"I don't think so. I mean the Romanians want vengeance, they want to destroy the Volturi not break it. No the crest being broken was something personal an act of defiance, someone who has lost faith in what the Volturi stands for." She sighed then looked at the room. "Someone who more than likely doesn't like me. When you look at the evidence the only people who know that I'm here are the people in the guard, the leaders, the Cullen's and my friends back in the Wizarding world. The people back at Hogwarts wouldn't know who to write too. The Cullen's I trust wholeheartedly and the leaders," She turned to face them and smiled wryly. "I may not trust all three of you but I don't think any of you would contact the Romanians."

"Absolutely not." Caius said with a look of utter disgust etched on his face.

"Then that can only lead to the guard members." She said sadly.

"Then we shall find the traitor and put them on trial." Caius said with determination. He did not stand for law breakers, but to him traitors were by far the worst.

"No I wouldn't look for the traitor openly if I were you." Hermione said. "You should hold a meeting with the guard members, tell them that you have some information regarding the Romanians and wait to see if they have any further contact with them. Feed the Romanians false information and lure them into a false sense of security. Only then will you truly know if there is a traitor here or not."

Caius smiled at her and whispered,

"Quite the little deviant aren't we."

"You have no idea." Severus said thinking back to her days at Hogwarts.

Remus who was standing beside him laughed then said,

"Our little Mione here isn't quite as innocent as she makes herself out to be. Believe me I know."

"Setting fire to a Professor in first year, taking on a dangerous snake in second year, standing up to a werewolf in third. And that isn't even half of it." Severus said throwing her a fond look.

Hermione laughed then said,

"Severus I told you about me setting fire to your robes in confidence. Now you've gone and told the Headmaster on me."

Dumbledore chuckled at her then said,

"I did not realise that was you. I am shocked Miss Granger."

Aro who had been listening to the group bantering, felt envious at the ease in which they could converse with each other. Not to mention how he hated the way Hermione and the dark wizard were talking to each other, flirty and fondly. It left him with the feeling of bitterness.

"May I ask a question and please do not be offended with me _Hermione_." He emphasized her name for he didn't like the way the werewolf had shortened it, it was beautiful just the way it was.

Hermione turned to look at him, the smile fading from her lips as she said,

"Go ahead."

He slowly stood up again, turning his back on her before saying,

"You spoke about out crest being broken and there being only two possible options behind its meaning. However, you are forgetting a third possible option. Perhaps the broken necklace doesn't mean a traitor at all." He turned to look at her, the pause giving what he was saying more drama. "Perhaps the broken necklace is you?"

Hermione frowned at what he just said, how could the necklace possibly be her.

"Me, how can it mean me?"

Aro sighed then said,

"Think back to a little over six weeks ago. Did you not rip our crest from your very own neck breaking it?"

Her hand once again went up to her throat to where the necklace had been. It was true she had ripped it off in anger, but how could what she saw in the vision be her. Her eyes widened suddenly as she said,

"You think I plan on breaking the Volturi, on ripping it apart."

Aro simply spread his hands out and shrugged.

"It is merely a suggestion. You were so quick to think traitor that you were slow to see other possibilities."

Hermione suddenly felt like she had been slapped by him. Did he really think that? That she would break up the Volturi. Thinking about her time here in Volterra she had to give him credit, despite how much it pained her. She knew that some members weren't happy that she was here, so could she be the one to divide and split them. She hoped not.

"I-I didn't think of that." She said dejectedly. "When I pulled the necklace off though, it broke at the chain not down the middle of the crest. Which makes me think it's a metaphor and not actually what I did." Hermione's weak argument was possible and she was just trying to think of ways for her not to be the problem.

Severus came and stood by her side, noticing the change in her mood.

"If that is the case you can always come home with us, today." He cupped her elbow and gently stroked her skin with his thumb.

Aro had to push down a growl. Although he had been the one to suggest it, it was merely another possibility. He only said it to stop the flirting going on between his rival and his mate. But instead his plan had backfired and he had only succeeded in pushing them closer together and upsetting her.

Hermione instantly felt comforted by Severus's touch and words. She looked into his dark eyes and smiled sadly.

"Thank youSeverus that means so much to me. But for now Volterra is my home. If I am the cause of this, then I will be here to fix it. If the Romanians want to attack the Volturi because of me, then I will be here to fight beside them. And if that coven want me, then they can damn well come for me because I will not hide." She lay her hand across his heart feeling the steady rhythm underneath her palm, savouring the feeling. "Plus as always I will not lead trouble to Hogwarts."

Severus placed his hand on top of hers and gently removed it from his person, before letting it go.

"Then I guess there is nothing else left to say." He could not hide the hurt he felt at once again being rejected by her. She had chosen the Volturi over him again.

"I guess not." Stepping back from him she turned to face the leaders, trying so hard not to let the pain show. "So will you help train me become a member of the guard?"

Caius smiled at her then said,

"Since your little speech there was spoken like a true member of the Volturi, I will say that nothing will give me greater pleasure than to teach you Hermione." He turned his full attention to his brothers and using a more serious tone of voice said, "I suggest that Felix and Demetri should go after those two vampires from earlier. They are nomads so have done much traveling around, perhaps they may have some information regarding movement within the Romanian coven."

Aro nodded his head in agreement.

"Excellent idea brother. While they are away we can hold a meeting with the guard and prepare them for War. Marcus you can teach Hermione about the history we share with the Romanians. Caius you can start teaching her combat skills with the other guard members until Felix returns, and I will teach her the ways of the Volturi guard and perhaps if she wanted, I can also teach her how to speak Italian. I'm sure together we can help her to become a member quickly."

There wasn't really much to teach Hermione about their ways, he just wanted an excuse to spend some time with her. Alone. He wanted to get to know Hermione better, and he also wanted her to get to know him. If he was to try and win her over, then he needed more than just the mating pull. He also wanted to share with her what she seemed to have with the dark wizard and he knew that she would never trust him unless he made an effort to prove himself to her. It was only now that he finally understood Marcus's previous words.

Hermione seemed to beam with joy at his suggestion. She loved nothing more than learning and what Aro had just proposed excited her.

"Thank you and yes I would love that. I always wanted to learn how to speak Italian." She said wistfully.

Aro grinned at the expression she had on her face. She seemed to glow and radiate with happiness and excitement. He would have chuckled at her reaction if it wasn't for the fact that they weren't alone, and he rather liked seeing her like that. Also knowing that it was his idea that caused such a reaction from her, made him fill with male pride. Perhaps he needed to shower her with more learning experiences if he wanted to continue winning her favour. For it seemed to be the way to get to her heart.

Yes, he mused, he knew the perfect thing to do for her. But that would be for later when he was giving her, her first lesson.

"Good now that's settled." He smiled sweetly at her, causing Severus to roll his eyes at the sickly sweet display. Turning to Caius and Marcus, Aro said "Brothers I think we should start making preparations for the upcoming ball. We need to get all the invitations out as soon as possible. How about we make it a Halloween fancy dress ball. It would be less suspicious and would give us plenty of time to prepare."

Hermione looked at them with bewilderment, although she had to confess she was excited about attending a Volturi ball, she couldn't understand why they would decide to throw one now; of all times.

"Sorry if I sound rude but while the Romanians are out there preparing for War, why on earth are you planning a ball? Shouldn't you be recruiting people to join us in fighting? Isn't there something more productive that we could do in the meantime?" She asked.

Caius laughed at her then said,

"That's a valid point Hermione, but that is precisely the reason why we are throwing a ball."

She frowned at him, pursing her lips.

"How so?" She asked.

It was Marcus's turn to speak up and in his bored raspy voice he said,

"We know the leaders of most of the biggest covens out there. By inviting them to the ball we can explain to them what is happening and see if they will join us in the fight. After all this is not just our War, if the Romanians gained power they would crush the bigger covens, so that no-one would be as powerful as they were. It is what they did the last time."

Now that Marcus had explained it to her it made sense. A ball was inconspicuous and from what she knew they often threw them. They could use that as a reason to meet other coven leaders and build up their forces. It was a rather clever idea. Then another thought occurred to her.

"Will the Cullen's be coming then?" She asked hopefully.

"Of course but only Carlisle and his wife will be here." Marcus replied.

She was disappointed that Alice, Emmett and Jasper wouldn't be here as well, she really did miss them, but at least she would get to see Carlisle and Esme. That reminded her about what Dumbledore had said, the Cullen's had sent her a package.

"Felix and Demetri." Aro said, breaking her train of thoughts. "You have been given the task of going in search of those two nomads. They do not have the shield with them any longer so hopefully this time you will have no problems in finding them. When you leave the Palazzo do not tell anyone about what we have spoken of. If you do, then I'm afraid there will be consequences."

Both Felix and Demetri bowed their head in respect at Aro's words.

"We will not fail Master." Demetri said confidently.

Hermione went over to him and gave him a hug before planting a chaste kiss onto his lips, much to the shock of everyone in the room including Demetri himself.

"Hermione what are you doing?" He asked while his face was buried in her curls.

"If we're going to start our charade we may as well start now. I'm acting like the worried lover part." She pulled away from him and looked into his eyes. "Stay safe." Looking over Demetri's shoulder, she winked at Felix who was trying hard not to laugh. "You take care as well."

"Oh we plan to." Felix replied.

Hermione unwarded the door letting them leave the dome room, and as soon as the door was shut she put the wards back up and walked over to the group of people, a more serious expression on her face.

"Marcus about that task you asked me to do. I'm sorry but I just can't do it."

Marcus's shoulders sagged at her words and his face suddenly looked older and more tired. He knew that she would probably say no, but still it was disheartening for him to actually hear her say that one single word. A small two letter word that could have made so much of a big difference to the rest of his existence.

"Not to worry Hermione I understand." He said wearily.

She walked over to Severus, whose whole body had tensed. He did not look at her not after her little public display of affection with that vampire. First Aro then this vampire. He was beginning to think that maybe he had lost her completely.

"Wait, I said no to me doing it. I didn't say no to it not happening." She quickly added realising her error.

Marcus lifted his head up to look at her, his eyes widening with shock.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

Hermione turned to look at Severus, a small smile on her face.

"I can't do it but Severus here said he would."

He had agreed to help Hermione obliviate Marcus's memories of his lost love, he also used that reason as an excuse to spend some more time with Hermione, in the hopes of making her realise that they belonged to each other. Instead the complete opposite had happened. He had spent more time with her but he had also realised that she'd changed, and that maybe she was right in the fact that they never had a future together.

He was a man who had his pride, but he was also a man who could be spiteful when his feelings had been hurt or he had been offended. At this moment in time he had the biggest urge to stomp his foot like a petulant child and say no he wasn't doing it. That's what he would have done before she had come along and knocked all of that out of the window. Looking at her now, despite everything, he knew in his heart that he could never deny her anything. Not even this. She had captured him wholeheartedly and even though she may not want him, he could not let her go so easily.

He hated how weak this made him feel, he hated the fact that he felt worse now than he did with Lily. He hated the fact that he wanted something he knew he couldn't have. He hated the fact that he loved someone who was too scared to love him in return, not in the way he wanted anyway.

With a heavy heart he succumbed to her wishes and nodded his head in agreement. From the corner of his eyes he saw the wide smile on her face, and despite himself he couldn't help but feel pleased that he had caused it.

"Yes, I told Hermione that I could do it. You see although she has extraordinary magic, I fear that she could lose control by the strength of it and combining that with not having a wand, it would be uncontrollable and dangerous. I wouldn't like her to risk it. For both your sakes."

Marcus smiled, the first genuine smile Hermione had seen from him, since the moment they had met. His whole body seemed to relax and a heavy weight seemed to fall from his shoulders.

"Thank you Severus. I cannot tell you how much this means to me. To know that I may have a fresh start, I cannot fathom how it will feel."

Aro, who had been listening to the conversation with keen interest, suddenly felt worried when Marcus mentioned a 'fresh start.' What was he planning on doing, he wondered?

"Do you care to enlighten the rest of us what you are talking about brother?" Caius asked curiously, wondering why Aro had not asked himself.

"Yes brothers I guess now is the perfect time to let you in on what Hermione and I were talking about." He took a moment's pause, letting his eyes drift off into the distance as he remembered his beloved Didyme for what could quite possibly be the last time. He wished he didn't have to resort to this, but he knew he could not live another day without her. With the pain and the heartbreak that left him feeling like only a shell of the man he used to be. This was his chance to be free of that, to finally get the chance to live again without her memory. "You see the idea came to me when Hermione and I were discussing her parents, and what Severus done to them for her."

Hermione let her head droop as she thought of the parents she knew she would never see again, the parents who didn't even know she existed. She hoped that they were happy wherever they were, and had a good life.

"What did you do to Hermione's parents?" Caius asked cautiously.

Severus looked down to Hermione, this was not his story to tell but hers. It was almost as if she felt his gaze on her as she lifted her eyes to the Volturi leaders, with confidence and no sign of regret.

"I asked him to obliviate the memories they had of me. You see as a muggleborn witch, they were in constant danger, they probably would have been killed by the Dark Lord and his minions. I did not want to take that chance." She sighed deeply then continued on with her story, trying to calm her emotions. "Not only were they in danger from them, but I had just been turned and feared what they would think of me, their vampire daughter. So I asked Severus to remove their memories of me and send them to Australia to have a second chance at life. Away from the dangers of the Wizarding world and away from me." Her voice broke as soon as she spoke the last word. She hid her face not wanting the Volturi leaders to think that she was weak. The only one regret she had about what Severus done was the fact that she wasn't able to say goodbye to them.

"Hermione don't feel remorse for what happened, you saved their lives. They were a target believe me I know, I seen the list the Dark Lord had."

Hermione's head snapped up to look at Severus and she frowned slightly.

"All this time you knew they were a target and you didn't tell me, why? What would have happened if I hadn't asked you to obliviate their memories? The Dark Lord would have killed them wouldn't he?"

"I never told you because I didn't think you needed to know. You already had so much to worry about at the time. I would have tried to protect them, you know that." Severus said trying to get her to see reason.

She stepped back from him and shook her head.

"That's not the point Severus, you should have told me. I don't regret what I did, but it would have eased some of the guilt that I felt." She looked at him with sad eyes then said, "We both know you could have tried to protect them but nothing could have saved them from the Dark Lord. Not even you could."

Severus sighed and tried to take hold of her hand, but she pulled it away from him immediately.

"I'm sorry Hermione, you're right I should have told you about the Dark Lord's plans. I just thought that it was for the best."

Hermione fell silent, knowing that she was probably being too hard on him, after all he was trying to look out for her. Just like he always did.

"Severus no, you done the right thing I'm sorry, I just, I wish-" Before she could finish her sentence an irritated Aro suddenly cut into their conversation.

"Sorry to interrupt this little lovers tiff, but I would like to know how this story affects my brother."

Hermione turned to look at Aro then said,

"Yes sorry. Well Marcus was talking about Didyme and the pain he felt every day at living without the woman he loved. When he heard about what Severus done for my parents he asked if I could obliviate his memories of Didyme."

Aro looked at Marcus who sat in complete silence, wondering what his brother would make of this plan.

"What would happen if you obliviated his memories?" Aro asked curiously.

"Well he would no longer remember her, he would no longer feel the pain at facing her loss every day. He could move forward with his life and be happy. Be free of the grief."

"Interesting." Aro said gently rubbing his chin. After the loss of Didyme, Aro knew that it was a miracle Marcus was still here. He let himself fall into a deep dark depression that he failed to get himself back out off. The only reason he was still here was because of Chelsea's power, keeping him loyal to Aro and the Volturi itself. He knew that his brother was tired of this world, tired of being without his mate. But now here was a chance for all of that to change. If the dark wizard was able to remove his memories then he wouldn't be so indifferent and morose anymore. He would be happy and maybe, just maybe he could be an even bigger asset to them than what he already was.

Aro turned to look at Marcus, trying hard to contain his excitement. Not wanting to appear too eager he said,

"Are you sure you want to go ahead with this brother? Think of all the memories you would be losing, you will never remember Didyme, you would never get that love you shared with her back. Is this really what you wish to do?"

Marcus smiled sadly.

"It is brother. I no longer want to live in a world without her. So instead I could live in a world where she never existed to me. I feel it is for the best."

"Very well then brother you have my permission."

Marcus bowed his head slightly, relieved that he did not need to fight Aro about this.

"I agree brother; this may be best for all of us. The Volturi need you, more importantly _we_ need you." Caius said.

"Thank you both." Marcus turned to Severus. "When do you wish to do this?"

Severus pulled out his wand from his sleeve and smirked.

"Is now a good time?" He replied.

"Go ahead." Marcus answered.

Severus moved towards Marcus and knelt before him, in front of his throne. He pointed his wand at Marcus's head and began to chant the spell while looking deep into his red eyes, as he delved into the vampire's memories. Looking through them all until he had found one with Didyme in it, he said the chant over and over again, before slowly pulling the wand away from Marcus's head, a small white light followed the movement of the wand.

His voice stopped saying the chant and he left Marcus's mind to focus on the light. But when he went to cancel the spell, instead of disappearing the white light flew back into Marcus's head.

"Do you know who Didyme is?" Severus asked, already knowing the Volturi leaders answer.

"Sadly I do, she is my dearly beloved wife who was taken away from me and murdered." Marcus sighed and gazed down at Severus. "I presume the spell you cast did not work."

Severus shook his head no.

"I'm sorry Marcus but it seems my magic isn't strong enough for you. I can't obliviate your memories." Severus went to rise to his feet, when Hermione suddenly lay her hand gently on his shoulder, stopping his movement instantly.

"My magic is." She said.

"We spoke about this before Hermione, it is too dangerous." Severus replied with slight frustration.

"No I don't mean in that way. Think back to when Harry and I destroyed the Dark Lord. Remember what I done when his magic wasn't enough." She smiled as a knowing look crossed Severus's face.

"Of course, why did I not think of that?"

Hermione laughed then playfully said,

"Because I am the smarter one out of the two of us."

Severus rolled his eyes then turned back to Marcus.

"Our ladyship here has just come up with an excellent idea. May we try again?"

Marcus smiled and nodded his head.

"By all means, go ahead."

Just like before Severus repeated the same process, only this time with the added addition of Hermione's hands wrapped around his own. He felt the small trickle of her magic flow into his body, but as he began to chant, she enhanced her magic and pushed it into him. All at once his whole body came to life tingling with the magic from her body, which was also pressed up against his back. He had never felt anything like this before. He had never felt so intimately connected with a person like this before. It was intoxicating and intense.

When he had finished the spell, he had forgotten all about the reason why he had done it and stood to face Hermione. Her eyes had widened in shock, as she had felt it also. He reached out his hand to her and bent his head to brush a kiss against her tempting mouth, but before their lips could touch Aro cleared his throat.

"As touching as this is how is my brother?" Anger and irritation at this dark wizard was building up momentum and he wanted nothing more than to sink his teeth into his throat and drain him of his life force. He was no longer going to stand back and watch his mate and her lover. He wanted him gone by any means necessary.

Hermione stepped away from Severus, her face showing signs of regret. Whether it was because of not being able to finish what they had started or because of what they had almost done, she wasn't sure. She crossed her arms and put up a barrier between her and Severus, after all he would be leaving her soon.

Severus instantly felt the empty void of where she had just been standing. His one regret was not being able to finish what they had started, because already he could see that she felt it was a mistake, for it was written across her face for everyone to see.

Instantly he scolded himself once more for making an utter fool of himself. He needed time and distance away from her, maybe then she would realise what it was they could have together.

Turning his attention back to Marcus, who already appeared years younger, Severus said,

"Do you know who Didyme is Marcus?"

Marcus looked up at Severus and frowned, the look of utter confusion on his face.

"I'm sorry who?" He replied.

"Do you remember the names of your brothers?"

Marcus chuckled, a noise neither Aro nor Caius had heard in such a long time. It was refreshing and filled the two Volturi leaders with hope.

"Of course I remember them Severus why on earth would I not?" Marcus said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What do you know about yourself?" Severus asked.

Marcus frowned then said,

"Well my name is Marcus Volturi, I was first born in Greece and met Aro not long after our transformation. Afterwards we started the Volturi along with Caius and his wife Athenodora. Out of the three of us I am the only unmarried one, although I feel like I'm forgetting something." He frowned, then burst into a huge grin, again making him appear much younger. "It must not be that important if I cannot remember it."

Aro was sitting watching his brother, fascinated and unable to believe it was the same person. He appeared so much different, physically, emotionally and mentally. It was truly astounding. He grudgingly had to accept that perhaps the dark wizard was useful for some things after all.

"Thank you for all that you just did. I can hardly believe what I am both seeing and hearing. It truly is a wonderful gift that you have given us today." Aro said rising elegantly to his feet. "Which is why I will give you pardon for dropping into the Palazzo unannounced like that? Please do not make the same mistake again." He warned them. "Now I believe my brothers and I have a War to plan for." He turned his attention to Hermione and smiled sweetly. "Shall you be joining us?"

Hermione knew that Aro was now dismissing her friends, they were no longer of use to him anymore and he wanted them gone. She looked at them apologetically, not sure if she could part from them so soon. But she had promised the leaders that she wanted a more productive role in helping the Volturi. Not knowing what to say, someone finally spoke up taking the decision away from her.

"I think it best if we left now anyway. Our portkey leaves later today and we have yet to have an efficient amount of sleep." To Hermione's surprise it was Severus who spoke.

"Are you sure? Maybe I could come back to the Chateau with you for a while?" She asked looking from each of the three wizards.

"I think it is for the best that we leave alone Hermione." Dumbledore said moving to stand next to Severus.

Her heart sank at the realisation that they wanted to leave her as quickly as possible.

Remus stepped over to her and lifted up her chin, so that he could gaze into her eyes.

"Do not be a stranger blood sucker, we are all here for you. Write to us more and let us know how you are doing, so that we don't worry about you."

She nodded her head, trying not to let her sorrow show.

"Take care Hermione and remember help will always be there for those who ask for it." Dumbledore said giving her one of his little riddles.

"Thank you." She whispered before turning her attention to Severus. He seemed to be wearing his mask of indifference and she wondered what he was really thinking. But all he said to her were two words, two words that spoke volumes to her.

"Goodbye Hermione." With that he turned on his heel, just like she had done in the Chateau, and one by one they apparated away. Him being the first one.

She stood for a moment looking at the empty space where they had just been, and tried not to let her emotions show. After all he had just done what she wanted hadn't he.

An arm wrapped around her shoulders, and when she looked up she was gazing into the twinkling eyes of her mentor.

"It is for the best mio dolce." He squeezed her shoulders then said, "Come, we have much to plan." And with that she cancelled the wards stopping the vampires from entering or leaving the dome room, before heading back to Marcus's private quarters.

* * *

The moment he apparated back into the Chateau, the weight of his body was too much to bear and he fell to his knees hard. Why did he feel like he had just had his heart ripped out and stood on once again? It didn't matter how much he tried to resist her, he kept going back for more and it never ended well, not for him anyway.

"You done the right thing Severus, you and Hermione were never meant to be." Remus said, helping his friend to his feet and steadying him when he almost lost his balance.

"Remus is right Severus. You must let her go." Dumbledore replied. This was what he had feared all along. He had seen the way Severus had pinned away for Lily Potter for all those years. He did not wish to see it happen again or a second time.

Severus did not say anything, because he already knew his friends were right. So without saying a single word, he went outside where the sun was beginning to slowly rise, and made a promise to himself. He would no longer think of Hermione, she was where she belonged. And no matter how hard it would be, he would try and forget her. And if he couldn't then he could always ask Dumbledore to obliviate his memories as well. Why did loving someone have to always be so bloody difficult, he wondered.

He also made the decision that as soon as they arrived back at Hogwarts, he would return Hermione's wand to the Headmaster, after all if she was going to run into battle, like he knew she would, then she was going to need it once again.

Looking up into the sky Severus softly whispered,

"I love you, always." He stood a moment longer, as if watching his words being carried on the breeze, then went back inside. He was more than ready for some sleep, suddenly feeling drained in every way possible.

 **Translation from Italian-English.**

 *** Mio dolce- my sweet**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Three weeks had now passed since Demetri and Felix had left on their mission. To say that Hermione was worried about her friends being away for so long and not hearing anything from them, was an understatement. Every time she was in the dome room and the big wooden doors opened, she would sit up straight and look over, hoping to see her two friends waltz in. When it wasn't them who came through the doors, her shoulders would sag and she was filled with disappointment and worry. All she hoped for was that they were safe and would be back soon, for she missed them greatly. The Palazzo just wasn't the same without the two of them winding her up and keeping her on her toes.

The rumours about Hermione and Demetri were flying around the Palazzo, several times she had been asked if Demetri was courting her. She just smiled sweetly whenever she was asked this, and replied to them by saying it was hard to court her when he wasn't here. This only added to the speculation further, for she neither denied it nor admitted to it. Leaving everyone to wonder and talk.

Since Severus had taken away Marcus's memories, he had completely turned into a new person. He looked much happier and younger, he seemed to have more drive and energy about him as well. Even his clothes and hair looked less drab. He just seemed like a totally new Marcus.

During their lessons Hermione got to know him better. He was kind and caring before, taking her under his wing and being considerate of her previous lifestyle as a witch. Nothing on that front had changed. But what had changed was his sense of humour. Before his memories were taken away he seemed bored and indifferent all the time, somewhat introverted because he didn't want anything to do with life any more. His life had ended the day his beloved Didyme was murdered. But now since he no longer felt the grief and pain at having lost her, he became more extroverted taking an interest in the other guard members, conversing more with them, and generally being much more approachable. Hermione even noticed his funny sense of humour as well, she had never laughed so much than when she was in Marcus's presence.

The Volturi guard members had all been forewarned by Caius and Aro about the sudden change in Marcus. They explained to the guard members what the dark wizard and Hermione had done, making sure that they understood that it was his choice to do it. They also told them that any mention of Didyme would result in punishment, as they did not want their brother hearing her name or the fact he had once been married, in case it triggered his memories.

They had no way of dealing with this sort of thing because as far as they knew nothing like this had ever happened before. So they didn't want to take any chances when it came to their brother. He was happier and seemed to be in such a better place than he was and they would do whatever it took to keep him like that.

The guard members didn't know what to think by the sudden change in one of their leaders. They had known him for so long as the quiet withdrawn one out of the three, so seeing him so happy and outgoing had been unnerving. Three weeks later and they had all come to accept this new version of Marcus.

Hermione's studies with two of the leaders were going well, she had not yet started her lessons with Aro for he wanted to wait until Demetri and Felix had returned, for some unknown reason. With Marcus she was learning all about the history of the Volturi and the War between them and the Romanian Coven. She enjoyed these lessons and found them truly fascinating.

He taught her how the Volturi first came to be, with Aro and Marcus meeting not long after they were both turned. They met one another and almost at once formed a close bond together. Apart from their creators, they didn't know any other vampires until they had found each other.

Once they had established a steady friendship, they then met Caius and his wife Athenodora who were travelling around the world trying to avoid capture from the Romanians. Caius had been a vampire longer than either Marcus or Aro and when he found Athenodora they realised they shared the mating bond, and so travelled all around the world together after being married. It was during their travels in Greece when they first met Aro and Marcus.

Caius instantly felt attracted to Aro's words of hope for a better vampire world and taking control from the Romanian Coven, which was the largest in the world at that time. His plan was to gather as many powerful vampires as possible and overthrow the Romanians. Caius found Aro's plans a little farfetched and ambitious at first because they would take many years to put in place and implement. But he liked the idea of becoming a leader to this coven and so agreed to join.

Although Caius did not have any physical powers like Aro or Marcus, Aro liked the fact that when Caius disliked or even hated something, he would do so with a passion he had never before seen. This Aro found was a useful tool, for Caius had the power to use this hateful passion and use it to manipulate situations weakening them or strengthening them to their advantage, depending on what exactly the situation was. So with his ambition and passion Caius soon became the third leader of the Volturi.

Didyme, Aro's biological sister, was turned next by Aro, who hoped that she may have a power like him that could be useful to their newly growing coven. She did have a power, one that made people happy, but Aro found he had no such use for it. After she had turned, Didyme and Marcus felt the mating pull and soon married. After Didyme, Sulpicia joined after Aro had persuaded her to marry him. And with this the Volturi Coven was born made up by the three leaders and their wives. They soon left Greece and travelled for a while before finally settling in Volterra, making it their home.

Once they had established themselves they went traveling in search of new and powerful vampires. They met Chelsea who became an essential part in the Volturi, manipulating vampires into joining, who may not have done otherwise. She brought with her, her mate Afton who was not nearly as powerful as she was, but Aro made certain allowances knowing how powerful and essential Chelsea was to the Volturi's existence. If it hadn't been for her then Marcus would not have been with them today.

They continued traveling and grew in numbers, as the next vampire to join the guard was Corin, whose power was similar but not as strong as Chelsea's. She had the power to make people feel content in the Volturi, so that they wouldn't want to leave either. She stayed mostly in the tower with Sulpicia and Athenodora, as after Didyme's murder the two wives were sent to the tower and Corin was there to make sure that they were content in staying there not wanting to ever leave.

Because of Chelsea's power the three Volturi leaders were then able to recruit Demetri, Renata who was the personal body guard to Aro as she was a shield. And then Heidi, who had the power to attract both vampires and humans to her, like a moth to a flame.

Aro had been watching Felix for a while, noticing his impressive strength as a human being and so therefore turned him. He had been glad he did because although Felix had no powers as such, his physical abilities and battle strategies were the best in the vampire world. He was second in command to Caius in the guard, and together they were the ones who devised all their battle plans. Felix's strength as a vampire was triple what a normal vampire was, so he was the best defensive weapon that they had.

Santiago joined the Volturi at the same time as Felix for he had a similar power, although not as strong as Felix's. He too had no powers as such but again his fighting skills were impressive.

But Aro's most prized members of the guard were one of the last to join the coven. They may have been the youngest members of the guard but they were also the deadliest. Jane and Alec were saved by Aro and it was thanks to their abilities that made the Volturi the most powerful and imposing coven in the world.

They had been the original sixteen members of the Volturi, and after they had recruited seventeen other members, who did not have powers as such but could help fight in battles, and with the death of Didyme it meant that the Volturi guard had thirty-two members in total, making it the biggest coven in the world.

Aro turned others so that they could spread around the world telling new vampires about this new powerful coven who were taking over. It was because of this that the Romanian coven, who were called the Dacia, the largest and oldest coven in the world at the time before the Volturi, became aware of a potential threat against them. Other covens had tried and failed to overthrow them, so they were not worried when this new threat arose.

The Dacia began when smaller covens got tired of fighting with each other. So they called a truce and decided to form one large coven. They were all ambitious and wanted nothing but power and to seek riches. They became greedy and it was because of this greed and power hungry ambition they had, that the Romanian coven grew to the size it was. They did not care about being kept a secret, in fact they flaunted their immortality in front of humans, who would often bring them sacrifices and riches in order to please the vampires, and have their lives and villages spared. The Romanian coven drove fear into the hearts of humans, and enjoyed having power of them.

It was because of them that news and stories about vampires spread throughout the human world over the years. Even in modern history vampires, although most of the information on them had changed and was normally incorrect, were still a popular story of legend.

The Dacia coven didn't have the kind of powers or talents as the Volturi and believed more in strength and in numbers. They felt safe and secure in their leadership and didn't feel the Volturi were a threat at all, because they only had a small group of coven members. It was this belief that lead to the Dacia's downfall and eventual destruction. They had underestimated the power of the Volturi and entered into a War they believed would only last a day or so, instead it was a century long War.

When the Romanians were eventually beaten by the Volturi and their coven was decimated, the only three surviving members of Dacia, were Stefan, Vladimir and Vladimir's mate who all managed to escape. They were so angry and enraged about what had happened and became resentful and bloodthirsty wanting revenge. So they recruited an army with over one hundred members, and once again underestimated the power of the Volturi, because it was during this last War when Aro introduced his two prized members to the vampire world. Jane and Alec obliviated the Romanian army, leaving only two survivors who had somehow managed to escape. They were Vladimir and Stefan.

They hated the Volturi for all that they did and for taking away their leadership and power, and often dreamed of having their revenge. They finally thought they would get it when they heard the story of the Cullen's and that the Volturi would be marching across the world for a fight. But that failed, and so having a taste of what it would be like having their revenge, Vladimir and Stefan decided enough was enough. They would build a stronger, fearsome army once more and take back what they believed was rightfully theirs. Killing all that opposed them. They would not be kind or lenient and would make sure that they did not leave empty handed this time.

Having learned all that information from Marcus, Hermione was intrigued about how the Romanian coven would go about bringing this War upon the Volturi. Surely they knew that nothing in the Volturi had changed over the years, that they still had incredibly powerful members who could easily wipe out their army. So why would they be chancing it again? Unless they had something powerful that the Volturi did not know about.

Aro was clever though, he always knew that the Romanians would never stop attempting to overthrow them. So every once in a while he sent out guard members to hunt down Stefan and Vladimir and spy on them. He kept a close eye on all the Volturi's enemies and those who became too out of line were dealt with swiftly.

What made Hermione even more curious and suspicious was if the Romanians knew about her and her abilities, then why would they try and attack knowing how powerful she was. This thought was troubling her as something didn't feel right, although she didn't voice it out loud to the three Volturi leaders. Not yet anyway.

Training with Caius is what she enjoyed the most however. It felt so good being able to practice her fighting skills again and it didn't take long during her first lesson to realise just how rusty she was.

Caius was an incredible strategist and excellent at fighting, but his role was to observe Hermione, point out her strengths and weaknesses and help her to improve on them. Because Felix wasn't here to be her opponent Caius asked Santiago to help out and fill in.

He was a quiet vampire who kept himself to himself normally. Although he was big and strong, not quite as big and strong as Felix, he was quite shy and reserved. The moment Caius introduced Hermione and Santiago to each other for the first time, she could tell that he was nervous of her. She could see the distrust written on his face and in his eyes and the reluctance in his movements.

During their first sparring match it was like he didn't want to let go and give her his full strength, in case she done something to him in return. As the first training lesson went on Caius, who had been observing, noticed Santiago's odd behaviour. After a while he sighed loudly and asked them to stop.

They did and turned to look at the frustrated Volturi leader.

"Can anyone tell me what was wrong with that?" He asked looking from Hermione to Santiago.

Hermione chanced a glance at her sparring partner, knowing what the problem was. When neither of them answered Caius quickly said,

"The problem is that you Santiago are treating Hermione like she is bone China. Stop it. She is tough and won't break." He grinned wickedly then added. "Well if you fight her well she might." Losing his smile, he looked serious once more as he focused all of his attention on Santiago. "Tell me what has you so cautious around her?"

Santiago looked sheepish then said,

"What if when we're fighting, I make a wrong move that she doesn't like and she uses magic on me? I can't defend myself against that."

Hermione looked at him then replied,

"I do have some control of my magic most of the time you know. It's only when my emotions are at a high level when I tend to lose it a little."

Santiago snorted and turned his head away from her.

"Yeah I've kind of noticed that. Which is exactly my point. What if I get you all angry and you blast me or whatever, I probably won't recover from that?"

Although most of the guard had accepted Hermione into their midst, they were still cautious of her. After all no-one had ever seen anything quite like her before, and after the couple of times she had lost control in front of them, it only made things worse. They had every reason to be wary around her.

Hermione's shoulders slumped down with resignation as she replied,

"Look Santiago I understand how you must feel after everything that you've seen. Believe me I would probably feel the same way as you do, if I were in your shoes." Hermione admitted truthfully. "But I'm not. So all I can really say is that if you don't want to help me practice then that's fine, I can find someone else to help me." She wasn't sure who would help her but she didn't want Santiago to do something he didn't want to do. It wasn't fair on him and it would only impede on her training. She wanted to start learning everything she could as soon as possible, if she was to be ready for the big battle. She was determined that she wouldn't let anything get in her way. Including a reluctant Santiago.

"Hermione as much as I just enjoyed your touching speech." Caius said sarcastically. "That decision is not yours to make. We are here to help you learn how to fight and you cannot do that when your opponent has gone soft." He turned his attention to Santiago and glared at the weak vampire. "I asked you to do this task and so far you have failed at it. You know how I hate to give second chances to anyone, but on this occasion I am willing to make an exception this time." He moved away from them slowly and started to unbutton his black suit jacket before tossing it onto the floor in a heap. He undid the first couple of buttons of his crisp white shirt before rolling his sleeves up to his elbows.

Caius was tall and slender with long blonde hair, he reminded Hermione of a somewhat younger version of Lucius Malfoy.

"Get into position." He ordered, while moving into his own position.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked curiously, knowing how obvious that must have sounded.

"What do you think I'm doing? If Santiago needs some reassurance, then that is what we will give him." He bent his upper body bending in ways Hermione could only imagine doing, before grinning maliciously at her. "Believe me if you don't lose control with me then you will be unlikely to do so with him. I don't plan on going easy on you. Ready."

There was no warning as Caius ran to Hermione, his arm outstretched as he caught her throat and sent her flying down onto the floor with a big thud. Her head bashed off the stone tiled floor and she made an 'offt' noise.

"Come on Hermione you have to be quicker than that." Caius said circling around her, as she slowly rose to her feet.

She glared at him then said,

"You didn't give me any warning." She grumbled.

Caius shook his head at her then said,

"Do you honestly think that when you're out fighting, your opponent is just going to say 'ready let's begin?' They won't give you any warning so why should I. You must always be ready for an attack. Their aim is to kill you, that's it."

His words made sense, of course she didn't expect her opponent to give her any prior warning, but this was training. She just thought that the rules may be a little more flexible in this case. She chuckled slightly then said,

"Constant vigilance." Caius raised a curious eyebrow up at her in question. "One of my friends back home, when he used to teach us how to fight, he always used to say that you should have constant vigilance." She smiled fondly at this memory. Despite the fact that Alastor Moody was a mad bastard, he was brilliant with it and had taught her a lot. Not only that but he also became a great friend to her. She really did miss them all back at Hogwarts sometimes.

Hermione was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't see Caius sneak up behind her until he had wrapped his hands around her throat, squeezing just enough to let her know she would have been dead if this was a real fight.

Letting her go he moved around so that he was now facing her.

"Being distracted will only lead to your death. Concentrate on me Hermione. If you can't give this one hundred percent then why are you wasting _your_ time and _mine_." He said with a frown, the frustration and annoyance etched in his voice.

"I'm sorry I will do better." She promised, hating herself for her lack of concentration. She never had that problem back in Hogwarts. She scolded herself for her thoughts and cleared her mind, focusing only on Caius.

They both got into their defensive positions and this time when Caius ran, Hermione ran too. They leapt into the air, both with outstretched arms as they grabbed each other's shoulders. They stayed in the air before Caius got the better of her, spinning her around before letting go.

She was aiming towards the wall and would have crashed into it if wasn't for her fast instincts. She braced her arms out and used that to stop the crash, but the impact left her hand prints in the wall. She turned her head slightly and found Caius grinning. Disillusioning herself she ran to him before grabbing him by the throat and throwing him down onto the floor. He pushed her hand away and reversed their positions, even though he couldn't see her.

"Very good using this skill, but you are still too slow." He said.

She used her invisibility to her advantage and shoved her leg up kicking him off of her before standing up. She cancelled the disillusioning charm before running at him before they engaged in arm to arm combat. Caius was fast and obviously skilled at fighting and Hermione struggled to keep up, feeling his fists occasionally catch her face or chest. But she gave it her all.

They were so engrossed in their battle they did not see others come into the dome room to watch. Aro was especially pleased to see her in her glory.

Hermione's concentration was momentarily broken as soon as Aro walked into the room. She could feel him before she saw him and feeling disconcerted by that she lost her focus, causing Caius to sweep her off her feet so that she landed on her stomach. He pinned her arms behind her back and whispered,

"Focus on me and not on the room." Into her ear.

She growled out loud and flung herself upwards with Caius still attached to her. He had her hands still behind her back, so using this to her advantage now that she was on her feet again, she ran her and Caius backwards until she felt him being crushed into the wall. Even then he didn't let her go, so she moved forwards before crashing him back into the wall for a second time.

His grip slackened and she bent forward, tossing Caius over her body, her arms going over her head with him. She felt a slight crack at the shoulder but ignored the pain. She stomped on Caius's stomach until he finally let her go, and just when she thought she had bested him, he grabbed her ankle flipping her around and making her fall face first onto the floor.

She quickly maneuvered herself onto her back, his hands still around her ankle, and with her other foot kicked hard at him until he had let go. Rolling backwards she got back to her feet and got into the defensive position.

"Very nice Hermione but I still believe you can do better." Caius ran to her and jumped into the air, expecting her to do the same thing. Instead she ran and dived underneath him, punching him in the chest. He went up into the air before falling to the ground, his back crashing onto the stone floor.

Hermione made the mistake of bending over him, and using that to his advantage he stuck out his leg catching her in the stomach. She was falling backwards but Caius was fast, he grabbed her by the throat and done the motion of pulling her head off.

"You are now dead." He said letting her go before helping her to straighten up. "You weren't as bad as I thought you would be." He grinned, trying to sort his dishevelled appearance. "You have some really good aggressive combat skills, but you are slow to begin with. Once you get into it you are better but sloppy. Not too bad though. Who taught you how to fight like that?"

She thought back to her time at Hogwarts and smiled fondly at the memory.

"Jasper did, so that I could take on the wolves."

Caius nodded his head in approval. He may be able to tolerate Hermione's wolf friend but that didn't mean he could tolerate others as well. Remus was the exception to that rule. So when he heard about the death of those foul beasts he could not help but feel pleased. The less wolves there were in the world the better as far as he was concerned.

"Good, Jasper is an excellent teacher, but I am better." He turned to Santiago. "See you don't have to treat Hermione like a wall flower."

Santiago simply nodded his head in respect to his Master, although it was clear to see that he wasn't yet fully convinced of this just yet.

That had been her first lesson with Caius and she enjoyed it greatly. After that Santiago took Caius's place as her sparring buddy. He was still cautious at first but as the weeks progressed he became more animated during their matches and helped teach Hermione a lot. After three weeks she was better than what she had been but would still need more work. In Hermione's eyes there was always room for improvement.

Santiago and Hermione also began to develop a friendship as well. It had been tense at first but as they began to get to know each other better, they began to joke and tease each other. Although they were friendly she would never have the type of friendship with him that she did with Felix and Demetri. They were her golden boys.

It was during her third day of training with Caius and Santiago that Helena came waltzing into the dome room, tall and beautiful with a slender figure and slim waist, with long curly red hair. She was human so had sparkling blue eyes instead of the creepy red eyes of the vampires.

Helena had replaced Elizabeth not long after she had been disposed of. Hermione had been told that Demetri and Felix had been given the honour to begin with but since Aro had sent them away to watch over her instead, it was Jane who then got the honours. From what Hermione had heard, Jane had been furious about not being sent to go along with Demetri and Felix so took out all her frustrations and anger out on poor Elizabeth that day. According to the other members, even though Elizabeth had been taken far below into the dungeons, her screams could still be heard in the dome room for hours.

The thought of what that poor woman must have suffered sent shivers down Hermione's spine. The poor woman didn't deserve that to happen to her. Hermione never quite understood why they employed human secretaries, considering their laws were to keep their world a secret. So when she asked Marcus about it he chuckled and said,

"Ahh always the curious one aren't we. The reason why is because the Palazzo dei Priori is a human historical building. So therefore we must put on a human façade to the world. Could you imagine what would happen if tourists walked in and there sitting at the desk was a blood thirsty vampire. Our secret would be ruined."

Hermione laughed at the image Marcus had just painted to her.

"Ok that makes a bit more sense but why do they pick these women for? What do they have that others don't?"

Marcus smiled at her then said,

"That answer is simple, these women know about our world and come here for the sole purpose of being changed. They are young and beautiful and have a pretty face for the tourists so we give them jobs and see how they fair. A sort of test if you will."

Hermione nodded her head in understanding then asked,

"What happens if they fail?" She already knew the answer after what happened to Elizabeth but wanted to hear it confirmed.

"Then they are disposed of. They cannot simply go back into their own world after what they have seen and heard. They know too much and it would be too dangerous for us."

"And if they pass?" She asked.

"Not many of them pass I'm afraid. The truth is Aro only turns them if they have a potential power. In the end their blood is always more valuable than what they as a potential vampire are."

His answer was grim but the truth and Hermione, although she didn't like what he said one bit, was glad that he had the decency to tell her the truth. She respected that more than if he tried to sugar coat things or hide things from her.

So Hermione was surprised that when Helena walked into the dome room that day, she walked straight over to her despite the fact that she was currently in a session with Santiago.

"What do you think you are doing?" Caius asked obviously displeased about the interruption.

Helena looked towards him startled, immediately realising her error.

"I'm sorry Caius-" She began but he instantly stopped her.

"It is Master Caius to you." He said with obvious disgust. Hermione's whole body stiffened at the way he looked down his nose at the woman, as if she was nothing more than dirt on the bottom of his shoe. She knew that look all too well, after having received it many times before for being a muggleborn witch.

"I-I'm s-sorry Master Caius i-it's just that this package came for Miss Granger and I wanted to give her it before she left." Helena turned pleading eyes towards Hermione, but there was nothing that she could do except take the package from the other woman's trembling hands.

"Thank you Helena." Hermione replied.

"You are dismissed." Caius said with disdain. Hermione saw the other woman's lip tremble and while she was retreating Caius moved closer to Santiago and whispered, "Go and dispose of her immediately. Let Heidi know that she will need to recruit yet another secretary. Tell her to make sure that the next one is more competent."

Hermione could feel the bile rise up in her throat at Caius's words. He sounded so cold and heartless, obviously he did not care very much for the lives they took.

Santiago simply nodded his head before following Helena out of the dome room. Hermione half expected to hear her screams but when all she heard was silence, that seemed to chill her to the bone even more. Although she neither understood nor liked these practices she knew that there was nothing she could do or say that would change them. This was one of those things Marcus had spoken to her about before, she may not have to like it but she had to respect their ways.

"Can I be excused as well please, since Santiago isn't here?" She asked quietly, trying hard not to let her feelings show.

"Of course." Caius said trying to be sympathetic and understanding towards her.

"Thanks." And with that Hermione had simply vanished on the spot leaving Caius startled. It never failed to amaze him when Hermione did that.

She returned back to her quarters, the box in her hand. It was wrapped in brown paper and had her name and the Palazzo's address on it. She knew instantly who it was from, as Dumbledore had told her. So tearing the brown paper off, she opened the box to find padding in it. Taking that out, she found yet another box inside and a white envelope. She smiled knowing what it was. Opening the envelope, she read the letter first it said,

 _Hey Hermione,_

 _How are you doing? First of all, I can't believe you left Hogwarts to go and live with the Volturi. Honestly what the hell were you thinking? We were all shocked by what you done, but honestly we could never blame you for doing it. The Volturi never give up what they want easily so just be careful alright. What we can blame you for though is not saying goodbye to us. I know you had other things on your mind, and I know it must have been difficult saying goodbye to Severus, but we're your friends too. I can't hold that against you though so I guess I'll let you off with a warning. But don't do it again!_

 _We miss you so much and I know we didn't exactly know you long but you felt like one of us, so Carlisle told me to write that if you ever decide to leave Volterra you should know that there's always a place for you here with us._

 _In the meantime though, the best I could do was this gift. I figured you probably didn't have one and since you're no longer at Hogwarts then there shouldn't be a problem having it._

 _The minute you receive it I want you to use it straight away. I will be waiting and so will your adopted family. Take care and please be safe._

 _Alice_

Hermione laughed at the letter before tucking it back into the envelope. It sounded so much like her friend. Even when she was trying to be angry she still sounded too nice for her own good.

Going back to the second box she opened it up and pulled out a bright pink mobile phone. Trust Alice to have picked such a girly looking colour, Hermione thought with a chuckle. It had a yellow post it stuck on the back that read 'It is a contract phone and is fully charged. You don't have to worry about anything except keeping it powered up. Don't forget to call us.'

Hermione couldn't help feeling grateful at her friend's generosity. She couldn't believe that they would go to all this trouble just for her. She didn't know what she ever did to deserve them in her life but was so glad that they were in it.

That day she spent hours on her new phone and spoke with all of the Cullen's catching up and telling them about what was happening with her. She told them everything except for what was going on with the Romanian coven. The leaders didn't want the guard to know about that yet, not until Demetri and Felix came back with the two nomad vampires for interrogation, to see if they had any information about it. So she figured that they would find out soon enough.

It was so nice chatting away and listening to Alice's sweet voice. She even told them about Dumbledore coming and taking her away, and how Remus, Severus and Dumbledore came back with her, although she didn't explain the reason why they did.

Alice couldn't believe that Remus would endanger himself like that, and although Hermione didn't say anything about the whole situation, Alice got the feeling that Hermione wasn't telling her everything. But she didn't push it. They talked for hours that day and once they were finished Hermione felt much happier in herself. Just hearing her friend's voices made her feel happier, ever since Demetri and Felix had left.

Feeling invigorated after her long chat, she went into the shower to freshen up, not realising that she hadn't warded or silenced her room like she normally did. She hadn't realised that someone had been listening to her end of the conversation the whole time. Slowly they were gaining enough information on this vampire witch, and soon she would be gone at last.

So now, three weeks later Hermione was once again in her room after just having had a training session with Caius and Santiago. She was in mid conversation with Alice when a knock sounded on her door.

"I'm sorry Alice I need to go." She whispered.

"Alright I'll phone you during the week ok. And Hermione please stay safe." Alice said, the concern sounding in her voice.

"I always am. Bye Alice." With that she hung up the phone and hid it in her beaded bag, just as another knock was heard.

"Coming." She called out.

When she opened the door, a wide smile appeared on her face as she flung herself into the arms of Demetri and Felix.

"Where the hell have you two been?" She asked, pulling back so that she could look at them and make sure they were alright.

"It took a little longer than we thought, and also we're very happy to see you too my little witching." Demetri grinned.

"A little, I expected you to be away for maybe a day, not three weeks." She huffed.

Felix laughed then said,

"It sounds like the little witchling here missed us."

Hermione huffed again and folded her arms across her chest.

"Of course I didn't. So what took you both so long anyway?"

Demetri smiled then said,

"We came into a few little problems along the way, nothing we couldn't handle of course. But you will soon find out all about our little adventure."

She frowned and looked at him quizzically.

"What?"

Felix held out his arm to her and said,

"We have come to escort you to witness the interrogation of the two vampires. You will soon see your very first court session?"

Hermione's stomach twisted at the thought of what she was about to see. Although she was extremely nervous about it, curiosity got the better of her and she took Felix's arm before closing and warding her quarters. This was going to be a very interesting day.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Hermione was escorted to the dome room with Felix and Demetri at either side of her. And for some reason she felt incredibly nervous as though it was her trial she was walking towards, and not the interrogation of the two vampires she had met previously.

When they entered the room, it was set up in exactly the same way as when she had first met the rest of the guard members. The three thrones, which were currently empty, stood prominent in the front of the room. There were two seats to the side facing the audience and there were chairs on either side of the room facing towards the front, with a wide aisle in the middle.

Everyone was already sitting on their seats except for the three empty ones close to the front, which were for Hermione, Demetri and Felix. As she looked around the room she noticed that Jane and Alec were also missing, along with the three leaders and their wives.

"Don't be so nervous little witchling. It's not like it's you who's out front this time." Felix said with a slight chuckle as he tried to ease her apprehension.

"Thanks for that." She replied with a roll of her eyes, despite the small smile that had crept onto her lips. "So what usually happens at these things then, I mean they're only going to try and find out if the two vampires know anything and that's it. Right?" She asked knowing how naive she probably sounded to them.

Felix and Demetri chanced a glance at each other wondering how they should answer that question. If they lied to her then she would probably be angry at them for not telling her the whole truth, and if they told her the truth then she would probably either storm out in anger, or apparate away having seen what she was like before.

"It's a little bit more complicated than that." Demetri replied cautiously.

Hermione looked at him and frowned slightly at his evasive answer.

"Complicated how?" She asked.

"Well you see-" Demetri began to say, but before he could explain anything to her further, the doors to the back of the dome room opened and the three leaders and their wives walked in. They were all elegantly dressed in the full Volturi outfit, excluding their black cloaks, and they each wore their Volturi crests proudly around their necks, displaying their power and leadership.

The three Volturi leaders looked strong and imposing as a triad but it was Aro who caught Hermione's eye the most. He had an air of importance about him, and seemed the prominent figure amongst the two other leaders. Out of the three of them it was easy to see that he was the one in charge.

Sulpicia was by his side, her arm tucked in his as he gently lead her to the chair next to his throne. She whispered something into his ear and patted his arm affectionately and he replied by giving her a small quirk of his lips and a slight nod of his head. Once Marcus, Caius, Athenodora and Sulpicia were all seated, Aro walked to the front of his throne and smiled out towards the guard members. Although he was drawn to her, his gaze avoided stopping on Hermione, whose stare he could feel on him. He wondered how she was going to react to this and so didn't want to draw any attention to his curiosity.

"Welcome members of the guard, I bet you are all wondering why you are here. As you are probably aware Felix and Demetri have been away from the Palazzo for a few weeks now. They have been on a mission for us. You see it has come to our attention that the Dacia coven has once again been building up their army and plan on attacking us. We know when and we know where, but we don't know why yet, which is where Demetri and Felix come in. They have brought back two prisoners for interrogation, nomads who may have information on the Romanian coven's movements." He turned to look at the back of the room and said, "Heidi if you please."

She stepped up from her chair in the back row and headed towards the wooden doors. Flinging them open Hermione saw Jane push the female nomad vampire in, while Alec shoved the male vampire through the doors. They looked nervous and frightened as they took in the sight of the Volturi guard members and the three imposing leaders at the front.

They were pushed down the wide aisle towards the two empty chairs and when they took their seats the male vampire caught sight of Hermione. His eyes widened in recognition as he spat out,

" _You_."

Alec who was so much smaller than the other male vampire hissed for him to be quiet, before slapping his face hard as a punishment for speaking out without permission. The male vampire growled at Alec before averting his gaze to Aro, who stood watching the whole situation unfold with a small smile on his face.

"That will do Alec." He said although there was no sign of a warning in his voice, in fact he seemed rather pleased by Alec's more dominant display of power over the nomad.

Jane took her place as guard behind the female vampire, while Alec took his place behind the male vampire. With everyone now in their rightful places Aro once again began to speak.

"These two nomads were roaming around with Margery Bergen and her mate. Unfortunately, they both are no longer here with us today thanks to our very own Hermione, who Margery made the mistake of trying to attack."

At Aro's words, all eyes turned to Hermione in shock, she tried to slink back in her chair hoping that she could just disappear to stop them all from looking. They had no idea about the attack on Hermione or that she had killed, so were surprised to hear this news from Aro.

"These two vampires were luckily spared thanks to Hermione's generosity. But we have brought them here today to find out what they know, if anything." He now turned his attention back to the nomads and smiled, one that was both intimidating and calculating looking. "Now we know that you have been traveling around Europe, so let me ask you both what you have heard about the Romanian coven?"

The female nomad vampire with the long blonde hair, looked briefly towards her mate, as though she was expecting him to say something. But he didn't, instead he remained silent. This brief glance didn't go unnoticed by Aro.

"You my dear." Aro said sweetly to the female. "Look like you may know something." His eyes shifted from her to her mate, and when she remained silent he sighed audibly. "It pains me to say this to you both but we can either do this the hard way or the easy way, so what's it to be?"

The male nomad vampire growled at Aro then said,

"Go to hell."

Aro simply smiled and took a seat on his throne.

"Oh I've already been there thank you, but since you have no plans in helping us or yourself, perhaps this will change your mind." He turned his attention to Jane and grinned menacingly at her. "Jane my dear if you would please do us the honour." Clasping his hands he placed them on his knee as he watched Jane, all the time keeping a curious gaze on Hermione from the corner of his eye. She was sitting with a stiff back, obviously feeling tense and unsure about what was happening. But still she never once took her gaze off the proceedings. Perhaps, he mused, there was hope for her yet.

"Of course Master." Jane said bowing her head in respect before moving to stand in front of the two vampires. Looking at the female nomad she smiled sweetly then said, "I'm afraid this is going to hurt you more than it is me." Then she whispered one single word, "Pain."

Almost instantly the female vampire began to scream in utter agony, as she fell off the chair, her body convulsing with the pain, as her whole body felt like it was on fire.

Hermione who had been watching in curious fascination flinched as she watched the female being tortured, knowing all too well how it felt to be on the receiving end of Jane's power. She wondered why Aro simply didn't use his own power on them to find out the information that they required, but knew that would be too easy. He enjoyed the theatrics of an interrogation and as one of the leaders, wanted to show everyone in the vampire world that the Volturi were not to be taken lightly. This was their world and their ways, and so therefore must be respected. If they weren't then they would show everyone what would happen to those who didn't respect their authority.

"Stop it you bastard." The male nomad shouted as he watched helplessly, as his mate rolled and convulsed on the floor. "What do you want from us?" He yelled out.

Aro laughed and spread his hands wide.

"You know what we want my friend. We want to know what you have heard about the Romanian coven. It is obvious from your mate's reaction that you know something, but it seems that for some reason you're not willing to share this information with us." Aro frowned and with a disapproving shake of his head said, "Tut tut. I am greatly disappointed in that." He turned his attention back to Jane then quietly said, "Jane my dear that is enough for now."

She instantly averted her gaze away from the convulsing woman on the floor to look at Aro, cancelling her power at once by this action.

"As you wish Master." She said compliantly, although she never moved from her spot in front of the female nomad, just in case Aro needed her to repeat the performance.

"Thank you my dear." He said turning away from Jane to the male nomad vampire. "Now shall we try this again then? What do you know about the Romanian coven?"

The male nomad sat in silence once more, his lips pursed in a small frown as he took a moment to think. He hated the Volturi and everything that they stood for, and so was reluctant to give them the information that they wanted. But he couldn't stand to see his mate hurt again. He could feel her pain, and fear radiated from her as if it were his own. When he still hadn't answered after a short while, Aro sighed again, beginning to feel frustrated at not getting what he wanted.

"Alright then if that is what you want. Jane my dear once more if you please." He simply said sounding as though he was bored by this already.

"No stop, wait please." The female nomad begged, her voice sounding croaky and rough having just endured being tortured by Jane.

Aro put his hands up to Jane, stopping her from using her power on the female nomad. She looked somewhat disappointed but obeyed her master nonetheless.

"Do you have something to tell us, if so please go ahead? If not, then Jane here wouldn't mind punishing you once again for wasting our time."

The female nomad sat up, although she appeared unbalanced and slightly disoriented.

"Please I will tell you everything you need to know. Just please don't hurt me again." She pleaded. "The four of us were traveling around Europe when we met a group of vampires, they were Romanian. They told us that the Dacia coven were coming back into power and that they were going around looking for nomads, those who do not follow the Volturi rule, to join their armies." She turned her head away from Aro, knowing that she had just admitted to the leaders of the most powerful coven, that she went against their laws and their ideas.

"Not to worry my dear we will forget all about that little indiscretion there. Please go ahead." Aro said sounding calm.

"We refused, saying that we knew all too well about what happened to them the last time they took on the Volturi. The leader of the group just laughed at us and said that this time was different as they had a secret weapon, one that could destroy the Volturi forever."

Aro's eyebrows shot up as he turned to look at both his brothers. They already knew that the Romanians wanted Hermione, were they going to try and persuade her to join them and turn her against the Volturi? He wondered curiously. Or was it something else entirely?

"And what is this secret weapon that they speak of?" Caius asked.

The female nomad turned to look at Caius and shrugged her shoulders, the aftereffects of Jane's power rippling through her body at the slight movement.

"I swear I don't know. We asked them, and all they said was that it was a secret." She answered truthfully.

"And do you know why they plan on attacking now?" Marcus asked, his gaze flickering over to Hermione.

Again the female nomad shrugged her shoulders while shaking her head in the negative.

"No, all they said was it was time they got their revenge."

Marcus, Caius and Aro looked at each other, trying to decide whether they believed her or not. So with that there was only one thing left for them to do. Aro stood up and walked over to the female nomad, smiling down at her trembling body. He sniffed the air slightly and his grin grew wider and more feral looking. He loved nothing more than the smell of fear in the air.

"Thank you very much, you have been a great help to us. But would you mind terribly if I saw your thoughts."

Aro didn't wait for an answer, he simply took her hands in his and closed his eyes, as every thought she ever had passed through into his mind. She was a reckless and daring vampire, not caring about the laws of secrecy as she and her mate killed openly, without a care in the world. They moved about from country to country leaving a trail of devastation in their wake.

He opened his eyes and dropped her hands, a look of disgust on his beautiful pale face.

"My my, we have been busy haven't we." He said his eyes shifting from her to her mate. "You have broken several of our laws on your travels. Feeding in the open, stealing, letting humans see you. Tut tut I am disappointed. No wonder you were so reluctant coming here and fighting against my two guard members." He sighed as he shook his head. "Now the question is what do we do with you both?" He lay his finger across his lips, as if he were deep in thought but really he already knew what would happen next, he just liked the flair of the dramatics.

"Please." The male nomad shouted. "Please do whatever you want to me, but leave Veronica out of it. She has done nothing wrong." He pleaded.

Aro's eyes moved to him and he chuckled lightly.

"So very noble of you but I am afraid you are wrong. Your mate here has broken rules just as you have, and we all know that those who break the laws must be punished."

Hermione who had been watching with trepidation suddenly felt her heart clench as she understood what was going to happen next. This was one of those things that the Volturi did that she didn't have to like, but respect nonetheless. She now hated the fact that she had made that promise to Marcus.

"No please don't hurt her." The male nomad pleaded. He looked towards his mate and reached his hand out to her, but Jane quickly pulled Veronica away from him. She struggled in Jane's arms but she wasn't strong enough to fight for long, as the torture she had not long ago endured had weakened her significantly.

"Alec would you please control our guest." Aro said and watched with pleasure as Alec nodded his head. Black mist appeared from Alec's hands and into the male nomads' body. He cried out as he slipped from the chair having lost all use of his senses. "Demetri and Felix." Aro then said.

Without any further instructions, Hermione watched as her two friends rose from their chairs and went over to the male nomad. They picked him up roughly by the arms and dragged him in front of Aro. They pushed him down onto his knees and stretched his arms out to stop him from trying to struggle against them.

"For breaking the laws of the Volturi by revealing yourself in front of humans, for keeping secrets from us and by attacking members of the Volturi guard. I hereby sentence you to death." With that Aro wrapped his hands around the nomads' throat and with a familiar ease he twisted then pulled.

The moment his hands were around the nomads' throat, Hermione looked away from the scene in front of her. She squeezed her eyes shut trying desperately to block out the sight, but she could not block out the sound of his neck breaking, or the piercing scream of his mate, which seemed to echo around the room.

Felix and Demetri grabbed hold of the female named Veronica and moved her into the same position as her mate had been in. Once again Aro stood tall and imposing as he said,

"I hereby sentence you to death for breaking the laws of the Volturi."

Veronica held her head high in defiance and said,

"You bastards deserve everything that's coming to you."

Aro grinned maliciously at her and bent over slightly to whisper,

"Pity you won't be here to witness it then." And with those words he twisted her head off too and dropped it onto the floor next to the body. "Please dispose of them as soon as possible." He said to Felix and Demetri. They picked up the bodies and carried them away with ease as Aro once again addressed the guard members. "Justice will always be served to those who decide to go against our laws. It pains me to see such potential being destroyed, as they have so much to give. But alas they decided to oppose us. Now that you are aware of the threat the Romanians pose, we have made moves to build our own forces. A fancy dress ball will be held on Halloween, so that we can speak to coven leaders and get them to fight alongside us. From the information that we have already gathered, we know that the Romanians have already built an army with over five hundred soldiers, so therefore we must get as many covens as possible to join us. After the ball I plan on sending a small group over the Romanian borders to gather more information for us. But do not be disheartened though. We have a wonderful collective of power and have already annihilated them before. I am sure we can do it again. Now train hard and prepare well. Thank you, you may go now." He bowed his head out of respect as he dismissed the guard members. Then turning to his brothers they spoke briefly about what they had heard. They would save the more in depth discussion for when they were back in their shared quarters, away from the other guard members.

Hermione sat in stunned silence not believing what she had just seen. She had just witnessed her first trial and it was everything like she had imagined it to be, quick, brutal and straight to the point. She couldn't even be disgusted by what she had seen for they had broken the laws and were punished according to the Volturi laws. And everyone knew that Hermione Granger tried to follow the rules as best as she could.

Also she would be classed as a hypocrite for she had dished out her own form of punishment to their friends not that long ago. So she was just like the Volturi in a way. This realisation took her completely off guard. All this time she was trying hard not to be like them and now she realised that, this was exactly the direction she was heading in. She was becoming more like them every day.

"Hermione." A voice said breaking her sudden train of thoughts. When she looked up to the owner of the voice Aro was standing looking at her, an amused expression on his face.

"Hmm." Was all she was able to say, still too stunned by her new discovery.

"Your lessons with me will begin tomorrow. Be at my quarters at 10am and do not be late." With that he left her sitting there, not even waiting on her answer nor did he say goodbye.

She watched his retreating form walk over to Sulpicia. He bent his head and whispered something into her ear, and she looked at him in return with a wry smile on her face. They said goodbye to Marcus and Caius before leaving the dome room arm in arm.

Hermione's heart twisted painfully in her chest, as she realised why they were leaving and what they would probably no doubt be doing. What did it matter to her what they were doing anyway? He was not her concern.

She wished that she could believe that but knew it wasn't true. She had some strange infatuation with the Volturi leader and was jealous that he was off with his wife. For the past couple of weeks, he hadn't even looked at Hermione, like he used to do when he thought she wasn't looking. Perhaps he too had heard the rumours about her and Demetri and decided to back away. She couldn't understand why it bothered her so much that he didn't seem as interested in her anymore, but somehow it did.

"Are you alright my little witchling you look as though you're a million miles away?"

She looked up to see Demetri, with a look of concern etched on his face. She smiled fondly at him and nodded her head slowly.

"Yes I'm fine, but if you don't mind I'm going to retire to my room for a little while."

He didn't need to say anything for he understood that after what she had just seen, it was probably wise to give her a little space and some time to think on her own. So he simply nodded his head in understanding, placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed, letting her know that he would be there for her when she was ready.

"Thanks." She said.

Hermione stood up and took a step away from Demetri as she apparated away back to her own bedroom. Not wanting to hear anything from next door, she warded her quarters and put up a silencing spell. The last thing she needed at the moment was to hear Aro and Sulpicia in the throes of passion. She shuddered at the thought.

Luckily for her, her phone began to ring, taking her mind away from thoughts of Aro and Sulpicia. Looking down at the screen she saw that there were already four missed calls from Alice.

"Hello is everything alright." She asked answering the phone to her frantic friend.

"Hermione is that you where the hell have you been, I've been trying to get a hold of you for ages." Alice exclaimed, sounding hysterical.

Hermione suddenly felt concerned at her friend's' frantic behaviour. Whatever it was that had made Alice so upset obviously wasn't good, for normally she was calm and level headed.

"Wow Alice calm down. I was just at my first trial. What's wrong?" She asked.

Hermione could hear Alice sigh audibly, before mumbling something into the background. She wondered if the rest of the Cullen's were there with her or if it was just Jasper she was talking to.

"I don't know what the hell's happening over there, but I know something bad is going on. I just had a vision of your future." She paused for a moment and seemed to suck in a deep breath. "Hermione I just saw your death."

As soon as Alice had said those five little words, a horrible vision entered Hermione's mind, causing her to drop the phone to the floor, as she grasped the edge of the desk to steady herself.

In the vision she had, she was surrounded by fire and burning bodies, so many bodies lying crumpled on the ground. She was lying amongst it all trying to hold off the fire, but for some reason she couldn't move as she was so weak. Her magic was almost depleted and she couldn't hold the fire off anymore. And as soon as whatever spell she had cast ended, the flames roared to life engulfing her weakened body, burning her alive. She could hear her screams of pain, and could even feel her body burn.

Hermione squeezed her eyes shut trying to rid herself of the vision, before realising that Alice was still on the phone to her. With trembling hands, she picked it up off the floor and held the phone to her ear, only to hear Alice frantically calling out her name repeatedly.

"I'm here." She whispered.

"Hermione are you alright? Did you see the vision?" Alice asked.

Hermione nodded her head, unable to speak, before realising that Alice wouldn't be able to see her. So with everything that she could muster she simply said,

"Yes I saw it."

Alice mumbled to someone again before returning back to Hermione and saying,

"Hermione what is going on? What is happening please just tell us?"

Hermione sighed and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Trust me Alice when I say that for now I can't tell you. But you will all find out soon enough"

Alice groaned and huffed at the other end of the line.

"Hermione please, you need to be careful. If you are in danger then tell us, you can come here and we will keep you safe."

Hermione chuckled slightly then quietly said,

"If only that was true."

"What do you mean? Please Hermione you're scaring me." Alice pleaded.

Hermione hated keeping secrets from the Cullen's, especially from Alice but she knew she couldn't say anything to them. Not until the ball when Aro would address the situation and fill in the other coven leaders about what was going on.

"Alice please don't worry about me. I promise you everything is fine. But I really need to go now alright. I will phone you later."

"Hermione don't go yet." Alice said frantically.

"I'm sorry, I will phone you later." And before Alice could say anything else, Hermione quickly hung up the phone, before turning if off completely. It was one thing to be told that you were going to die; it was a completely different thing actually seeing and feeling your death and it left her unnerved.

For the rest of the day Hermione sat thinking about what she had seen, both the trial and the deaths of the two nomads and then the vision of her own painful death. War was coming to the Volturi and as always with War came death. If she wanted any chance in helping the Volturi defeat the Romanians she could not think of the vision she had seen, for that would only take her mind away from the fight itself. If she didn't give it her all then it wasn't just her own life at stake, it was also other members of the guard, as well as vampires from other covens. She could not let that happen. So with grim determination she decided that the best plan of action would be not to focus on the vision but practice and train hard, focusing all of her attention on not only winning the battle but the whole War instead. She would deal with what she saw in the vision, if and when it was time and would not tell anyone about what she had seen, for their minds needed to be on the fight ahead as well, and she couldn't have them worrying about her. She did not want to distract them from what they needed to do. So with that in mind, she began to prepare herself for her very first lesson with Aro the next again morning.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

Hermione was in her quarters pacing back and forth nervously as she waited for 10am to arrive. The reason for her sudden case of nerves wasn't because of what happened the previous day, with the vision she and Alice had shared. She was more nervous about the fact that this lesson was with _him_ and that they would be spending time alone with each other, something that they had not yet done. Any time they had spent with each other was in the company of others and always seemed tense. This would be different and so she didn't know what to expect, and the one thing she hated most in the world was not knowing something.

She had taken extra care getting ready this morning, by selecting an outfit she thought he would like. Then she quickly scolded herself for having such thoughts, as she didn't really care what he thought of the outfit she wore. Or at least she tried unsuccessfully to convince herself that she didn't care. The truth was she felt like she did all those years ago when she first arrived at Hogwarts. She felt like she had something to prove and wanted nothing more than the approval from all of her Professors, especially from Severus because he was the hardest one out of them all to please.

Now only a few years later here she was again, nervously waiting for her first lesson with the leader of the vampire world, and despite the pull they may share, she wanted nothing more than his approval. She wanted to impress him, not because of the magic that she had but because of her intelligence and knowledge. She hated herself for feeling this way, for believing that what he thought of her mattered. But it did matter to her.

When there was only five minutes left to go, she paced a little more and tried to calm herself down. There was no point turning up at his quarters a nervous wreck, that wasn't the impression that she wanted to give him. So she cleared her mind and tried to steady her thoughts and her nerves. At one minute to ten, she stood outside his door and done her best to appear confident when she knocked on the door.

She heard movement coming from inside and felt her nerves flare up again. She really hoped that when the door opened Sulpicia wouldn't be there. After all she and Aro had left together yesterday after court, and for all Hermione knew they could still be in there together. She grimaced at the thought and the sudden feeling of jealousy that threatened to consume her, and had to once again clear her thoughts. She was relieved however, when Aro was the one to open the door.

Every time she had seen Aro he was always immaculately dressed and regal looking. Always appearing to be in the role of leader. But seeing him now she couldn't believe how different he looked. He was more relaxed than she had ever seen him and he wore a friendly, instead of smug, looking smile on his face. He wore black trousers and shiny black shoes like normal, but instead of the full suit he normally wore, he had instead opted for a plain white shirt, with no jacket or tie. The first three buttons were open revealing his Volturi crest, that she doubted he ever took off, and a dark sprinkling of chest hair. His long raven hair, which he normally wore down, was tied back revealing the angular features of his noble face. He seemed more at ease and comfortable in his own quarters and the controlling persona of 'Master Aro' seemed to have dropped for now. This made Hermione relax a little bit more, but at the same time kept her slightly wary. She knew never to let her guard fully drop with Aro, for she didn't fully trust him yet.

"Ahh Hermione." He beamed with joy at seeing her standing there. "Please, do come in. Have a seat and make yourself comfortable." He moved to let Hermione enter and beckoned her inside. "I'm sorry I'm running a little late this morning, please relax and I will be out momentarily." He smiled again and nodded towards the plush leather sofa in front of her, before he disappeared into an adjoining room.

Unlike Hermione's quarters Aro's were so much larger and spacious. They were richly furnished in deep reds and mahogany's and seemed to reflect Aro's personality well, rich, dark, elegant and lavish. As she looked around the room though, other than the colours and the furnishings there was nothing personal about the space. What seemed incredibly odd to her as well, was the lack of female influence. She knew that Sulpicia and Aro didn't share these quarters on a permanent basis, but also knew that she sometimes stayed the night to fulfil her marital duties. But as Hermione looked around now, there was nothing to say that Aro had a wife, no leftover jewellery, no female clothes hanging up in the wardrobe or pictures of the happy couple displayed around the room. There was nothing. This room was completely Aro and Hermione found that curious indeed. She was also rather saddened to see that Aro didn't appear to have any books at all. This disappointed her for she knew that Aro was highly intelligent and well read, so she had expected him to own a much larger library than herself. Perhaps she had gotten aspects of his personality wrong.

"Thank you for being so patient, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." Aro said breaking her sudden train of thoughts. She swivelled her head to look at him, and noticed how he seemed to be leaning against the door frame looking relaxed. She suddenly wondered how long he had been standing there watching her for. This thought sent involuntary shivers through her body.

"That's all right I don't mind. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to help me." She said trying to hide the butterflies that had begun flapping in her stomach.

Aro smiled at her, as he slowly made his way over to the single leather arm chair. If only she knew that giving up his time to spend with her wasn't as difficult as she thought it was, and that he would gladly give up all the time there was to be in her company. He had wanted this for such a long time and was simply glad to finally have the excuse that he needed to make it happen.

"Now." He simply said, crossing his legs over and giving her a small timid smile. "I know things have been quite difficult between us since you first came here. So I would like to take this chance to apologise for my previous actions. Believe me I had no intentions of upsetting you the way that I did, I just sometimes need reminding that you are different and that you are no ordinary vampire. That you are special." He said the last word softly, almost like a loving caress.

Hermione sat back against the sofa slightly taken aback by his admission. She never thought that she would ever hear Aro apologise for anything, after all he was the leader of the Volturi and of the entire vampire world, which meant he had no reason to apologise for anything and especially not to her. If she was still mortal her cheeks would be aflame and she would have looked away coyly from him. But she wasn't a mere mortal, so she held his gaze with her own and gave a slight tilt of her head in acceptance. Although she would accept his apology it didn't mean she would forgive him so quickly.

"Thank you for that I do appreciate it." She replied.

He could see that she was accepting of it but did not fully trust his apology, which he couldn't help but admire her for. Only a fool would be persuaded to fully accept one and Hermione was no fool. She was anything but.

"I understand your hesitancy in accepting my apology and believe me when I say I do not blame you. I know that it will take more than that to rectify what I did, but I promise I will try from now."

At his words, Hermione felt some of her resolve melt away. If he was willing to try and make amends for what he did to her, then perhaps she should also try and be a little more accepting of him. This was new territory for both of them so perhaps a fresh start was needed.

With her mind made up, she smiled warmly at him and nodded her head in agreement.

"Thank you Aro I would appreciate that very much."

Normally members of the guard called the three leaders either Master or Sir out of respect, and although he knew he should scold her for not using his proper title, he found that he didn't quite have the heart to. He rather enjoyed hearing his name from her lips, with no titles separating them. It made them appear to be equals, which was what he wanted them to be one day, equals in everything. But he knew that it would be suspicious to the other members if he didn't correct her.

"Hermione please do not be offended by my next statement, for it is not my intention. But when we are out amongst the guard I would appreciate it if you referred to me, Caius and Marcus as either Master or Sir." He frowned slightly hating himself for this, knowing it must be done nonetheless. "It has always been the way of the Volturi and would look strange if you did not do so also, especially if you are going to become a member of the guard."

Hermione gave a small quirk of her lips at this. At the beginning when she had first arrived, she would have probably been offended at his request. But now it seemed that for the first time since she had come here, it felt like he was treating her as a proper member of the Volturi and not some powerful puppet he could one day master. His request didn't offend her in fact it had the complete opposite effect on her.

"I don't mind that at all. In fact, I apologise for not using your title sooner. When I was in Hogwarts we showed respect by calling our Professor's Sir or Madame to show respect, it shouldn't be any different here."

He smiled with joy at her words, glad that she hadn't been offended. Normally guard members' feelings wouldn't have mattered to him one little bit, but she was no ordinary guard member, or rather soon to be guard member if her training went well, which of course he knew it would, for she was superior in everything that she did.

"Excellent." He said. "In private however you may address me as Aro. No need for such formalities here. Now-" He clapped his hands together in that boyish way he did, whenever he was excited about something. "The reason why I asked you here wasn't entirely the truth."

Hermione's stomach lurched slightly at his admission. So he had lied to get her here, using teaching her as an excuse.

"What do you mean?" She asked trying to hide her annoyance. The meeting had gone from being pleasant to quickly turning tense? Was this more proof that Aro could not be trusted?

"Please don't worry mio caro, you seem to have misunderstood me. I have every intention of teaching you what I promised. But I thought for our first lesson we could try and clear the air between us."

Hermione's shoulders relaxed slightly as she gazed at him curiously. If he was playing some kind of game with her then she didn't like it.

"Clear the air how?" She asked.

He smiled at her and relaxed back into the chair.

"Well I thought it would help if we got to know each other a little better. Quid pro quo I get to ask questions about you, and in return you can ask questions about me. Within reason of course." He smiled as he watched the light come back to life in her eyes. It seemed that his ploy was working.

"Really, well yes that would be nice. Within reason." She agreed feeling excitement build. Despite some of Aro's rather ugly qualities, she knew that there must be more beyond him than that. So getting this chance to uncover the finer points of him was exciting. She wanted to know more about _him_ the man, and less about Aro the leader.

"Wonderful, now since you are my guest here I believe it's only fair that you should go first." He spread his hands out in front of him and smiled widely at her. "Go ahead ask away."

Hermione pushed down the giddy excitement and wondered where she should start. If this was her chance at getting to know him then she wanted to make the most of it, she wasn't going to waste a single question.

"How long have you been a vampire for?" She asked curiously. She knew that he had been around for a while but wondered just how long that actually was.

Aro laughed at her simple question, glad that she was taking the time and effort with him.

"Well if I'm honest longer than I would like to admit too." He smiled as the sweet music of her laughter filled the air. The sound was like magic in itself.

"I bet." She replied.

"Hmm now as I understand Marcus has already informed you of the Volturi's history and how we came to power. So you will already know that I was born in Greece but I was changed in 1280BC. A very long time ago indeed."

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise, she hadn't realised it had been that long since he had first been turned, it was truly remarkable the things he must have seen throughout the years.

"Amazing." She whispered quietly, and it truly was.

"Quid pro quo Hermione." Aro said with a charming smile. "I apologise for my next question, as I know how women tend to dislike being asked this, but I feel I must. How old were you when you were turned? Your appearance suggests that you are quite young a teenager perhaps, but your mind seems so much older and wiser. I must confess that it has left me somewhat baffled shall we say." He smiled again and watched as she sighed, but not with dismay.

"This would be a normal question for anyone else, but not for me." She chuckled at that and shook her head in amusement. "Apparently nothing is ever normal for me." She stated truthfully.

Aro furrowed his brows in confusion at her, curious about her answer or rather lack of one for such a simple question.

"Excuse my ignorance but I am afraid I do not follow." He said.

She chuckled again and smiled sweetly.

"I'm sorry for that, I should explain. You see in my third year at Hogwarts, I was so advanced in my studies that Albus, the Headmaster who you've met, allowed me to take on extra classes. But obviously there are not enough hours in the day to cover all the subjects I was taking. So he gave me something called a time turner to help, and because of me using that it altered my age."

Aro's eyes widened at her revelation. She was even more intelligent than he first thought if the Headmaster saw that kind of potential in her, to allow her to take more subjects. But what he didn't know was what a time turner was.

"This might be a rather ludicrous question but what exactly is a time turner. I know what it sounds like but it can't possibly be anything like I imagine it to be."

Hermione laughed and nodded her head.

"I bet it is exactly what you imagine it to be. The time turner allowed me to go back in time to take more classes, therefore instead of me being the 17-year-old I was supposed to be, because of my prolonged use it aged me by two years. So that when I was turned I was 19."

Aro rubbed his chin absentmindedly as he became lost in his thoughts. How extraordinary that such a thing even existed, the power that such an instrument could wield was unimaginable, and the things he could do with such a trinket, well he could only dream of such things.

But the thing that really astounded him the most was the fact that Albus Dumbledore entrusted such a powerful tool, to a 17-year-old student. This made Aro wonder whether Dumbledore was the dithering old fool he imagined him to be, or if Hermione was someone who could be trusted without question. This thought excited him more than anything else had so far. If she had been trusted to keep such a thing, then that obviously meant something. The thought of her by his side, loyal and trustworthy was an even more prominent image in his mind.

"Do you still have that time turner?" He asked curiously.

Hermione's brows furrowed obviously disliking his question. She knew how much Aro wanted power and there was nothing more powerful than being able to go back in time and change the past. But she couldn't imagine him actually wanting to use such a thing, because the repercussions for all were too great.

"No I don't have it anymore, Albus took it back after my third year was finished. It was safer that way. Going back in time is such a risky thing to do, and any slight alteration of the past can be dangerous. The slightest ripple could change the time line significantly and not always for the best. So he thought it best I give it back." She said honestly hoping to drive away any thoughts of him wanting such a thing in his possession.

Aro could hear the warning note in her voice and reeled his fantasy back a little, realising that he had made an error asking this question. Wanting to ease her mind he said,

"Oh I can imagine the devastation something like that could cause, I just cannot believe that something like that even existed in the first place. It is truly remarkable."

Hermione nodded her head in agreement, somewhat appeased by his observation.

"Yes only a few were ever made and the ones that were, were quickly destroyed. Except for the one Albus owns. Such things should never have come to be. But in my third year I was too naive to appreciate that and was too focused on my studies."

Aro chuckled at her words. From what he knew of Hermione so far, she was incredibly industrious. Not that he found that to be a bad thing. On the contrary. He rather liked that about her.

"Now I believe it is your question next." He said realising they had come off tangent.

She smiled and nodded her head in agreement.

"I wondered, do you still remember your life as a mortal?" She had wanted to know the answer to that particular question for a while now.

Aro sighed and relaxed back into the chair, clasping his hands together he placed them on his knees and looked deep into Hermione's mesmerising eyes.

"Honestly no I don't. I'm sure that at the beginning I did, just like you do now. But after years and years of living as an immortal any humanity I had vanished, as the vampire side of me took over. All the memories and feelings I had as a human also left." He leaned forward and gazed in wonder at her. "Now the question is will that be the same for you, after all you are a witch, you have more compassion than any vampire I have ever met before. Not to mention the obvious fact that you still have a beating heart. It will be fascinating to watch and see your journey progress." He sat back against his chair and smiled. "You know, all this time we vampires have been worried about the technology that humans possess, which could be used against us. But now I'm beginning to wonder if we were looking in the wrong place."

Hermione's back stiffened wondering where he was going with this and if she could hear a thinly veiled threat.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked instantly, hoping that what she was thinking was wrong.

He laughed although it seemed somewhat forced.

"Well mio caro all this time we thought humans had the technology to destroy us not knowing that in your magical world time turners and such things had been developed. Not to mention all the extraordinary wonderful things that your magic can do. It makes me wonder what else witches and wizards are capable of."

Hermione couldn't help but bristle at his words, it wasn't so much what he was saying that bothered her, it was more what he wasn't saying.

"Despite all of that witches and wizards live a peaceful existence." She said.

He smiled and shook his head at her.

"Is that why there were people like the Dark Lord around?"

She huffed and said,

"During the last few hundred years there has only ever been two Dark Wizards that we know of. A bit like you, they craved power and wanted to rule, but look what happened to them. One is currently rotting away in Azkaban, which is a magical prison for witches and wizards. While the other was turned into nothing more than ash. They are prime examples of why bad never wins over good." She felt the need to defend her world from Aro. What did he know about Wizarding history? Just because he felt the need to rule the vampire world with strength and power, and laws that if they were broken would be punishable by death, didn't mean everyone had to be like that.

"Touché." He said with a smile, recognizing the thinly disguised insult against his personality. "But there is nothing wrong with craving power and wanting to be the more dominant species."

Hermione sighed, realising that a part of her would never understand Aro and his mentally sometimes.

"You know in the Wizarding world we have werewolves and vampires living amongst us. And although it's still very much a work in progress, they all try to live harmoniously together in a somewhat integrated society." She looked deep into his red eyes and said, "That is where your views differ significantly. You rule your world separately thinking that vampires are superior yet you fear human technology and now the magical abilities of Wizards. Yet you have never tried to turn that fear into an advantage. Have you ever considered turning your foes into your allies? It would, in theory, make your position even stronger would it not? If you were friends with the Wizarding world, then there would be no threat of an attack, not that there ever would be unless you started it. And since you have me here, there is even more reason to befriend the magical world."

Again Aro rubbed his chin as he became lost in thought once more. Her theory was correct, but putting it into action was the problem. Too long had the Volturi ruled on their own without friends. It would be hard to change such things now. As he gazed at the intelligent woman in front of him he felt the familiar excitement flare inside. Her conversation was both riveting and stimulating at the same time. The way her mind worked was fascinating and the way she talked was so much like a diplomatic politician. He could picture her by his side one day helping the other leaders to rule. She would make a wonderful addition one day.

"Spoken like a true politician." He said with a wide grin.

She snorted at his words and smiled in return.

"I would hardly call myself one of those people." Her experience with Wizarding politicians showed them to be corrupt and full of themselves, minus of course Kingsley who she knew would be a wonderful Minister of Magic. No she didn't trust politicians.

"I must confess to rather enjoying this conversation between us, but I'm afraid it must come to an end soon." He tried not to let his disappointment show, for he truly was enjoying himself in Hermione's presence.

She, he noted, wasn't as good at hiding her feelings, she was like an open book sometimes, which he was glad of. He was also pleased when her own disappointment flashed across her face. She obviously didn't want to part from him so soon and this filled him with hope, he never once dared let himself believe.

"Oh I didn't know we had been here for so long. I guess being leader of the Volturi doesn't stop for anyone." She cringed inwardly at her own words, feeling like a petulant child taking the huff. She didn't mean to make herself so desperate sounding. But if Aro noticed he didn't say anything, which she was grateful for.

"All good things must come to an end at some point mio caro. But for now there is something I wish to show you. Come." He stood up quickly and elegantly and held out his arm too her. Looking from his outstretched arm to his face she smiled timidly and rose from the chair.

Tucking her arm into his, he led her over to one of the closed doors and ushered her inside the dark room. Even with her enhanced sight she could not see very much in front of her.

It was obvious that Aro was incredibly familiar with the room as he moved about in the darkness with ease, lighting oil lamps. The moment her sight had adjusted her eyes seemed to widen in awe and surprise.

This room was almost the size of her own quarters, and looking around she saw that it was filled floor to ceiling with old leather bound books. She could smell the old discoloured paper and the leather binding. There were shelves full and some books even sat in glass cases. She felt like she had just been transported into book heaven.

"I must insist that you wear these." Aro suddenly said handing Hermione a pair of white gloves. "Although we have nothing on our skin I do not want to risk the possibility of spoiling any of these books or scripts. They are very precious."

"I can imagine." She replied almost breathlessly as she put on the gloves.

"Some of these are first editions, some of them are lost works that collectors have only heard about but never seen. And some of them are works that were written but never published. They are old and very rare." He turned to her and smiled, opening his arms wide to gesture around the room. "Welcome to my own personal library."

Hermione turned to him in awe, realising that her earlier assumption about him being well read was indeed correct. She couldn't believe that she had almost convinced herself that he owned no books. But this room was so much more than she could ever have possibly imagined.

"How did you manage to come into possession of them?" She asked curiously as Aro guided her around the room.

He chuckled at her question and gazed at her warmly.

"We have been walking about the earth for thousands of year's mio caro. Along the way we were able to find a few treasures, antiques, jewellery, books, paintings, money. You cannot live as long as we have without unmasking a fortune. We all have needs and requirements still, even as an immortal."

She nodded her head in understanding, remembering her own fears when she had first turned about how she was supposed to live for all of eternity.

"This is amazing." She said with joy in her voice, her eyes twinkling with delight as she gazed around the room.

But there was only one thing that Aro was able to look at, and seeing that look of complete rapture on her beautiful face left him mesmerised. He wished he could repeat this over and over again just to see that look on her face once more.

"You haven't seen the most amazing part yet." He said thickly, not taking his eyes away from her.

"There's more." She exclaimed wondering what on earth could be more amazing than this entire room.

Aro chuckled lightly and guided her over to one of the glass cases, where a very old and worn book was. He gently cupped her chin and pulled her face towards him, so that she couldn't see what the book was. Not yet anyway.

He could feel the pull thrumming to life as electricity passed through their bodies, connecting them in ways that only mates could be connected. He took pleasure in seeing her shiver, her eyes widening and turning dark with unspent passion. He was thrilled to note that despite what she may say, Hermione too felt something between them. She could deny it with words but not with her body's responses. Once again he let himself hope that one day she would come to him, seeing that they were meant for each other.

"Before I show you what is inside this case, I wanted you to know that you have my permission to come here whenever you wish too. I was going to give you the key for the door, but realised how foolish that would be as you can simply apparate in and out of this room whenever you wish."

Something inside of him swelled with delight and pride at the look on her face. If he was smitten with her last look of awe, then he was completely enthralled with this look.

"Really, I can't believe that. Thank you." She exclaimed, the excitement radiating from her.

He smiled adoringly at her, unable to hide his satisfaction at seeing her looking so happy, and at something he had caused.

"Now the next thing is, Caius and I were talking and he happened to mention that this was your favourite book. So to apologise for my lack of understanding before, I wish to give you this, as a token of my affection and to apologise again in the hopes that you will one day forgive me."

He removed his finger from her cheek realising that he was still touching her and watched as she looked down at the book in the case. After a second she gasped in shock before turning to look at him, searching his face to make sure that he was being serious and not joking with her.

"I can't take this, it's far too much." She exclaimed.

He smiled and shook his head.

"Of course you can Hermione, it is my gift to you." He smiled.

For the first time in a long time Hermione was actually speechless and didn't know what to say. She gazed from Aro back down to the book enclosed in glass, not believing that he was giving her something so special.

"I-I." She sighed trying hard to calm her nerves. "Thank you so much I don't know what to say."

Aro smiled and gently tucked a loose curl back behind her ear. She didn't flinch at his touch and she didn't pull away from him either, she simply turned her head to look at him with big doe like eyes. She truly was a marvel.

"Just say that you accept my gift." He whispered.

"Can I?" She asked nodding towards the glass.

"Of course. It is yours after all. I entrust you to look after it and since I know of your love of books, I have no fears for its safety."

"I would never do anything to harm a book."

He laughed at her choice of words, she made it sound like she was looking after a pet rather than a book.

"I'm glad." He bent over and opened the case, which wasn't locked. Then stepping back, he gestured for her to move forward. "There you go, it is all yours."

Nervously, Hermione stepped forward and went to pick the book up but stopped to look at Aro once more.

"Are you sure it's alright?" She asked hesitantly.

He laughed at her innocence and smiled widely.

"I'm sure, now go ahead." He said encouragingly to her.

She took a moment before reaching into the glass case and then gently brought out the old worn book. She couldn't believe that she held a very old and rare version of Dante Alighieri's La Vita Nuova. Placing it carefully on the book stand, she slowly ran her finger down the cover savouring the moment. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever think something like this would happen, but here she was. And it was all thanks to Aro.

Slowly she opened the cover and inhaled the scent of the pages, marvelling at how old the paper was.

"It's written in Italian as well." Hermione stated, knowing how obvious her statement must have sounded.

Aro smiled at looked deeply into her eyes.

"It is and I promised that I would teach you Italian. Soon, once I am finished with your lessons, you will be proficient enough to read this by yourself." He gazed at her face, memorising every little detail before saying, "They say that Italian is the language of love and Dante's La Vita Nuova is all about love, so wouldn't it be a great feat for you to be able to recite it in its glorious natural tongue."

Hermione smiled at him before carefully putting the book back into the case.

"Yes I always wanted to do that. Thank you Aro for today I can't tell you how much I've appreciated it."

He smiled at her, then closed the case once more.

"It is my pleasure Hermione. Now tomorrow we will begin your actual lessons and because the ball is coming up soon, I think it would be a good idea to teach you the who's who of the vampire world." He guided her back out of the room, keeping his hand on the small of her back. Once again enjoying the feel of her beneath his hand. Now that he had a taste of what it felt like to be close to her and touch her innocently, he didn't want to stop. In fact, it only heightened his need to do so further.

"That sounds like a good idea but I must ask, won't they be a little unnerved to find out about me." She asked knowing how odd she was to a normal vampire.

Aro smiled sadly and nodded.

"They will be curious I won't lie; you are somewhat unique. But hopefully they will grow to accept you just like we have. You are one of us after all and the Volturi wouldn't let anything happen to you. So please don't worry about that mio caro."

She felt a little more reassured by his words but still worried about what others would think of her. Hermione also wanted to snort with laughter when he mentioned that the Volturi had accepted her, but managed to refrain from doing so. Some may have accepted her in the Volturi but not everyone had and she didn't think they ever would. But she didn't want to say anything to Aro, not when he was trying so hard to put her at ease.

If she was honest with herself Hermione came here not knowing what to expect from the lesson or from Aro himself. And she found herself rather pleasantly surprised by him. He had been charming and courteous, he appeared to take an interest in her, and had also tried to make amends for his earlier behaviour. She could not fault him on anything and she rather enjoyed his company. He was nothing like what she expected him to be and she was glad of this, for he was so much more.

"Thank you for today Aro and I will look forward to tomorrow's lesson." She smiled warmly at him as she made her way to the door of his quarters, knowing how busy he was and not wanting to take up anymore of his time. She couldn't help the slight feeling of disappointment she felt at having to leave him, especially since they were getting on so well.

Like a gentleman he held the door open for her and watched her, also feeling disappointed as she made her way to leave. She turned around to face him once more and gazed up to look into his eyes. He was so much taller than what she was, so standing up on her tiptoes, she pressed her hands against his chest, before kissing his cheek affectionately.

"Thank you so much for the book as well." She said stepping backwards. "I love it."

Aro's first reaction was to reach for the spot her lips had touch and savour the tingling feeling on his skin, but he refrained from doing so. He didn't want to seem like an eager child. So he put his hands in his trouser pockets, and tried to take control of his voice.

"As I said it is nothing really."

"Not to me." She said honestly, her eyes fixed on him. Something seemed to shift between them then, as the air became charged with pent up passion. They both could feel the pull drawing them in closer, needing to be closer to each other. But at that moment Demetri came walking down the hall smiling broadly when he saw them both.

Hermione stepped backwards instantly severing the connection, as she turned her attention to her friend. Not sure if she should feel thankful or annoyed that the moment she had shared with Aro had been broken.

"Master Aro." Demetri said as he acknowledged the Volturi leader first out of respect. Noticing the somewhat annoyed expression on his face. "I apologise for interrupting but Master Caius sent me here to fetch Hermione. You have a lesson with him and Felix next." He said turning his attention to Hermione with a 'you'll tell me everything later' twinkle in his eyes.

"Of course Demetri we had just finished anyway." Aro said dismissively, turning back into leader mode. "I will leave you both too it. Enjoy the rest of your day."

"Thank you…Master Aro." Hermione said with a small quirk of her lips as she and Demetri left to make their way up to the dome room.

Aro smiled at her sassiness as he stepped back into his own quarters. Things had gone a lot better than he imagined they would. She seemed pleasantly surprised by their morning and didn't seem repulsed by his advances. In fact, she appeared receptive of them.

He smiled broadly as he moved to take a seat on the sofa, inhaling her warm vanilla and honeysuckle scent that lingered in the air still. His plan at seduction was going much better than planned. And soon he hoped that she would have no recollection of the dark wizard. Soon she would be his, it was simply only a matter of time now.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

The weeks seemed to fly by in a flurry of activity in the Palazzo dei Priori, as the dome room was getting decorated for the upcoming ball that was being held on Halloween, which was now only two days away. The guard members were busy training and preparing themselves for battle. And since the dome room was out of commission they had to use the smaller hall for practice sessions. This meant that the guard members were put into groups so that they could practice, without the room being overcrowded.

Heidi had to hire several new secretaries to help deal with the organising of the ball and all of the administrative work that went along with it. Unfortunately for two of those secretaries they only lasted a couple of days before they were disposed of, for not taking their roles seriously enough.

The three Volturi leaders spent a lot of time in their shared quarters planning for a War against the Romanian coven, while also taking time out of their busy schedules to teach Hermione to become a guard member.

She herself was incredibly busy. Not only did she have three lessons a day with each of the Volturi leaders, but she had to have extra practice lessons at fighting with Felix, and also have time to practice her magic. For Hermione there was no room for error, her life literally depended on her skills and capabilities. After the vision she had, she took everything more seriously than before, understanding the importance of what the Volturi were teaching her, more now than ever.

Although she didn't tell anyone about the vision, her change in attitude and the fact that she took her lessons much more seriously, didn't go unnoticed. Caius had seen the change in her behaviour almost at once and when he asked her about it, all she said was that they had a battle to win and she was going to prove to everyone that she was guard member material.

He had been somewhat appeased by her answer but also felt like she was keeping something back from him. And the last thing he wanted to do however was push her into talking when she clearly didn't want too. When he discussed his concerns with his two brothers, they dismissed them saying that she was trying to do her best to become a guard member. And that from everything they knew about Hermione already, it wasn't unusual for her to put her all into something.

Over time however they too saw the determination and focus that she had and felt like she was pushing herself too much. So after the three leaders sat down to have a discussion once more about their concerns for her, Aro decided that she needed a break.

Using this as an excuse to have some more alone time with her, when he wasn't teaching, he made a simple suggestion to her at the end of their last lesson, which was two days before the ball.

"Hermione, my brothers and I have noticed the recent change in you. You seem incredibly driven to learn as much as you possibly can, as quickly as you can. And although we admire the way you have taken things so seriously. We are also quite concerned. There isn't anything wrong is there?" He asked, before looking at her seriously. "You do know that if there are any problems, you can always speak to one of us. We are here to help and to listen." He reached his hand out and covered her dainty one with his, savouring the feeling of her skin against his own.

Since their very first lesson things were moving smoothly along for them. He could see that she was still slightly more cautious around him than she was with his two brothers, but they seemed to be developing a nice friendship. After every lesson, she seemed more at ease with him and he in return enjoyed hearing her musical laughter fill the silent room or the wide smile she wore, especially when it was aimed at him. He was not afraid to touch her in friendly intimate ways, a slight touch to her hand, pushing a stray curl behind her ear, a friendly pat to her arm or his favourite, placing his hand on the small of her back to guide her. But he knew not to push things. He didn't want to spoil what they had so far established and if he made one single wrong move, then he knew he would scare her off and possibly back into the arms of the waiting dark wizard.

She looked at him quizzically, not wanting to show her nervousness at his words. All it would take for him to learn the truth, would be for him to take hold of her hands and use his power on her, to see her every thought and memory. She couldn't let that happen. They all needed to keep their focus and prepare themselves for what was coming, and they couldn't do that if they worried about her.

She smiled sweetly at him and squeezed his hand in return, not failing to notice the way his eyes grew wider and darker. During the past few weeks they had become closer, to the point that she rather enjoyed his company now. But still a part of her didn't trust him, not because of something he had done recently, for he had been nothing but kind and considerate towards her, but because of their past experiences together. Also every time she felt relaxed and at ease with him, she felt the connection they shared and would back off. The last thing she wanted was for these feelings to ruin their newly found friendship.

"Honestly Aro thank you but there's nothing wrong believe me. It's just that there is so much going on just now, and I want to prove to everyone that I have what it takes to become a guard member." She pulled her hand away from him and laughed. "Believe me if you think I'm bad now then you should give me a test." She said jokingly, remembering how uptight and harassed she used to become when she was studying for exams. She was an absolute nightmare back then and too her, nothing had been more important than studying for an exam. Looking back at herself now she could only laugh at how naive she was.

Aro smiled at her and sat back against his chair, missing the feel of her already.

"Yes I can imagine." He grinned. "Hermione you have been doing exceptionally well, better than anyone I have seen previously. Marcus says that you are doing brilliantly studying about the history. Caius says that your fighting skills have improved greatly." He clasped his hands and placed them on top of the table. "And I think you are doing amazing. You know who the leaders of all the covens are, and your Italian is coming on great."

She snorted at this and shook her head.

"It isn't great Aro you're just being kind." She laughed. Learning Italian had not been as easy as she first thought it would be. She struggled with the pronunciation at times, and became frustrated with herself for not picking it up fast enough. Aro made everything look so easy and the way he spoke Italian, was mesmerising. It was almost like he was serenading her at times, as it sounded so musical to her ears. She could now understand why Italian was called the language of love.

Aro was also a much better teacher than she thought he would be. He was patient and understanding, he went over every little detail with her until she eventually got it right, and he took his time, never pushing her or piling too high expectations onto her.

"Now come Hermione, do not be too hard on yourself. You are getting there and are much further along than I thought you would be at this point." Aro admitted, and it was the truth. Despite a couple of small obstacles, and an incredibly stressed Hermione, she was picking everything up so much quicker than he thought. With more practice and some tweaks, he would wager that she would be fluent in only a few short months. He was incredibly impressed by her skills and the ease in which she could learn things, and to him she was an absolute delight to teach and to watch.

"If you say so Aro." She said with a small playful smirk.

He felt the small flutter in his stomach, as she said his name. Somehow this small little gesture always made him feel like such a smitten fool.

"I do, now there's something that I wanted to ask you." He said feeling slightly nervous. "My brothers and I have all noticed how hard you have been working lately and to reward you for your effort, I thought you needed a break. So tonight how would you like to go outside the walls of the Palazzo and see some of the sights of Volterra?"

He remembered the conversation they had on their way to Volterra when she first arrived, the time Demetri and Felix had laughed at her because she wanted to see the sights. And so thought it might be something nice for her to do and see. He wanted to be the one who took her because he wanted to see her face; he was also selfish as well and wanted the credit in making her happy.

Hermione was so taken aback by his suggestion that at first she didn't know what to say. So she simply stared at him in shock before eventually finding her voice.

"I thought you didn't leave the walls of the Palazzo?" She asked quietly.

Aro chuckled lightly then said,

"I said we rarely left the Palazzo not that we didn't."

"And you would leave to come out with me?" She asked hesitantly, making sure that she understood him right. That it would be him who was taking her out and not one of the other leaders or the guard members.

"Of course mio caro. If anyone deserves a break it is you and I would be honoured to be the one to show you around. If of course you will let me?" He was playing the smooth gentleman card, hoping that she would fall for his sweet display of consideration. And he was not displeased by her reaction.

She flung herself into his arms and wrapped her own around his neck, leaving him momentarily stunned at having his mate so close to him, and felt himself pulling her tighter to him, unwilling and not wanting to let her go. He inhaled the sweet scent of her hair and savoured every feel and every contour of her body pressed against his own. They seemed to fit so perfectly together.

Disappointment coursed through his body, as all too soon she pulled out of his arms and moved away, revealing a breath-taking smile on her beautiful face. He didn't think he would ever get enough of seeing that smile.

"That would be lovely Aro. I can't believe you're going to take me out and see the sights, I can't wait." She rose from the chair, picking up her notebook and pens before placing them back into the small beaded bag. "What time shall we meet at and where?" She asked.

He frowned slightly. Although he had nothing to hide by taking Hermione outside the walls of the Palazzo, he knew the rumours and speculation would grow at his actions and the last thing he wanted was for Sulpicia to find out and wonder what was going on. Only the three leaders knew that Hermione was his true mate and he wanted it to stay that way for now. The last thing he wanted was for anything to jeopardise the possibility of any relationship with Hermione, and despite what people may think he also didn't want to hurt Sulpicia anymore than she would be. So he had to tread carefully for the sake of everyone involved.

"I shall meet you at the doors of the Palazzo around 9pm. It should be dark enough for us then to not draw any unwanted attention to ourselves. Oh and I would advise you to wear something dressy but casual. It would be more appropriate for when we go to the Balze Cliffs."

The excitement welled up inside of her at his words. She couldn't wait to get outside and see parts of Volterra. It would be better if it was in the daylight, but at the moment she didn't care. She was going outside and that's all that mattered.

"Thank you again Aro. I will see you tonight." She gave him a small smile and left his quarters. She had an outfit to plan.

* * *

Hermione felt nervous as she got herself ready for her evening out with Aro. At first when he had invited her to go out into Volterra and see the views, she thought nothing more than two people going sightseeing together. Now as the day progressed and she began to get ready, she started to wonder if this was date she had agreed too. Surely it wasn't, surely she was just overthinking things too much, as she tended to do sometimes.

Aro had told her to wear something that was dressy but casual so she picked a pair of black trousers, a red and black floral sleeveless top and a black pair of ballet pumps. To complete her look she pinned back her hair and applied the minimal of makeup. When she was ready she packed her small beaded bag, before heading out to the front door of the Palazzo. She had often walked passed this door, but never had she seen it open until now.

Aro was already standing there waiting for her, his back turned so that he was facing away from her. He wore his customary black trousers and black shiny shoes, and the shirt he wore was black with a white pinstripe. He had once again pulled his raven hair back completing his dark and mysterious look.

When Hermione touched his arm, he turned around and she gasped in shock and instantly recoiled back at the sight of him.

"What have you done to yourself?" She asked, trying not to reach up and touch his face. He had put in a pair of black contact lenses, turning his eyes from blood red to a reddish brown colour.

He smiled broadly and blinked a couple of times.

"It is a mere precaution that we must take when we go outside amongst the humans. Although it is dark, our red eyes are still visible. Like I said before we must always try and avoid drawing any unwanted attention to ourselves. I think me having red eyes would cause quite a stir wouldn't you agree?"

Hermione laughed and nodded her head in agreement.

"Yes I think it would. I remember the first time I ever saw the red eyes of a vampire. I was hysterical, and that was just me looking into the mirror." She said remembering the first time she had seen her own eyes. It hadn't been pleasant and out of everything that happened to her, seeing her eyes for the first time had been the worst of it all.

"Shall we." Aro said cutting into her thoughts and holding out his arm to her.

She smiled timidly, feeling her nerves once again kick in. Over and over again she had to remind herself that this wasn't a date, that this was just Aro being nice and offering to accompany her outside that was all, there was nothing else too it.

"We shall." She whispered, linking her arm with his.

Aro had taken a great deal of trouble to make sure that no-one from the guard would be near to see them leave. But as they strolled out of the Palazzo arm in arm, both focused only on each other and not on their surroundings, neither one noticed the small movement in the shadows of one of the windows, as someone watched them leave. Hermione was getting far too close to the Volturi members and the leaders, and they didn't like it at all.

The first stop Aro and Hermione made was to a quaint little wine bar in the middle of the town center. They sat outside savouring the night sky and the people walking around, oblivious of the two dangerous vampires that lurked amongst them. To normal humans they simply looked like a handsome couple, out enjoying a romantic evening. They were beautiful together and except from being too pale, looked like any other couple.

The waitress who served them couldn't take her eyes from Aro, who looked quite dashing where he sat. He had this presence about him that instantly captured your attention. For the whole time that she was at their table, she flirted shamelessly with him while keeping her back turned to Hermione.

Hermione would have been annoyed if it wasn't for the fact that she found the whole situation rather amusing. And also because for the whole time the waitress flirted, Aro gave no indication of being interested and kept his own gaze on Hermione. The one who did have his attention.

"Possiamo prega di avere una bottoglia del 1999 Ornellaia, Tenuta di Marchese Ludovico Antinori?" He briefly flicked a glance to the waitress and with a slight wave of his hand said, "Questo e tutto." Instantly dismissing her.

Hermione chuckled slightly as she watched the waitress storm away in a huff, obviously not having the desired effect on Aro.

"Is something amusing you mio caro?" Aro said somewhat oblivious to the waitresses flirting.

Hermione looked at him, with a small twinkle of amusement burning brightly in her eyes.

"I don't think she was pleased with the way you just dismissed her like that. After all I'm afraid she may have tried to use all her best moves on you."

"Nonsense." Aro replied, brushing off her comment. "It's just that I cannot abide rudeness in people and found her rather intolerable." He grinned, before gazing around him, noticing a male sitting to the side of their table eagerly watching Hermione. At once he bristled with jealousy wanting nothing more than to go over there and sink his teeth into the man who dared leer at his mate.

Hermione who saw the quick change in Aro, turned her head to see who he was looking at and caught sight of the man grinning at her. She frowned at him before turning her attention back to Aro.

"I guess we are even then." She stated, just as the waitress came back with their bottle of wine and two crystal glasses.

Leaving the couple to it, Aro moved and poured two glasses before going into his pocket and pulling out a small flask. Hermione raised her eyebrow suspiciously as he poured the contents into the glass. She could smell the sweet aroma of the blood and watched intently as Aro stirred it into the wine before smiling and taking a sip.

"Ahh it makes the wine taste so much sweeter." He replied, knowing that anyone who saw what he did wouldn't know what he had just poured into the glass.

Hermione frowned slightly but didn't say anything regarding what he had just done, so instead she brought up a safer topic and asked,

"Why did you bring me here?"

Aro smiled taking another sip of his wine before saying,

"I thought it would be nice to do something normal mio caro, and what better than to enjoy a glass of wine in the evening under the night sky." He smiled sweetly then said "Afterwards I thought we could then progress to see the Porta all' Arco since you already mentioned your eagerness at seeing it. Before moving on to the Balze Cliffs and then back home to the Palazzo." He sighed and placed his clasped hands in front of him as he gazed at her from across the table. "I know it is not much mio caro but all the historical buildings are closed at such a late hour."

Hermione reached out to take his hand in hers and squeezed it fondly.

"Aro it is much more than I could have imagined. Thank you for bringing me out here. It is exactly what I needed." She smiled before gazing around. "How did you ever find this place?" She asked curiously taking a sip of her wine.

Aro was mesmerised by the action as the wine left her lips looking moist and glossy, with a slight tint of red to them. He could not tear his gaze away from them and wondered what they would feel and taste like against his own, with the added delight of the wine. He hoped to find out one day when she was more of a willing partner, but for now he could only let his mind wander and guess for him.

"One of the secretaries happened to mention the fine wine that they served here when she found out that we were connoisseurs. However, our expertise lies only with the red wine, as we find the white wine far too bitter for our pallet." He said with a knowing smile.

Hermione chuckled at him taking another sip of her wine. It was nice but she couldn't quite define the flavour. Her taste buds were so much more different now than what they used to be.

"It's nice." She replied swirling the red liquid around in her glass. She suddenly wondered if wine had the same effects on vampires than what it did on humans. But she wouldn't ask Aro that, as she didn't want to come across as being stupid.

He sat watching as the thoughts raced through her mind, and wondered what exactly it was that she was thinking, but didn't want to ask.

"I'm glad you enjoy it mio caro." He smiled fondly. "So the ball is in a couple of days are you looking forward to it? Have you got your outfit picked out yet?" He asked curiously.

She sighed and sat back against the chair, cradling the glass in her hand.

"Honestly I'm a bit nervous. I'm not sure what everyone will think of me." She admitted feeling somewhat vulnerable saying that in front of Aro.

"I'm sure they will all love you Hermione, and you will find that there's no need to worry. Carlisle and Esme will be there, so that should help with your nerves." He said reassuringly.

She smiled and nodded her head.

"Yes I can't wait to see them. I just wish the others were coming as well. I miss Alice." She replied honestly, unable to hide the wistfulness in her voice.

After Hermione had the vision of her own death, things had been quite tense every time she spoke to Alice. She hated the fact that she was keeping something so important from her friend, but knew that she couldn't speak about it until after the ball. Alice didn't probe her on the subject but every time they spoke, Hermione knew her friend was hoping she would tell her. Every time they hung up the phone, it was to the sound of Alice's voice sounding disappointed.

It was strange how she and Alice shared some visions but not others and wondered how that was. They had both seen the vision of her death but only Hermione had seen the one of the battle. It was curious indeed.

"Yes I always rather enjoy seeing Alice myself." Aro replied with awe. He made no attempt to hide the fact that he coveted Alice, or rather her powers of foresight. He had always admired her gift and knew how useful it would be to the Volturi, to be able to see and predict the future the way that she did. He also made no attempt to hide his desire to have Edward and possibly even Bella in the guard as well. They were three very powerful vampires and would provide the Volturi with even more power and insight.

Hermione was a wonderful and rare blend of all three of their powers combined. She was able to predict the future on occasion but it wasn't a reliable power like Alice's. She could see into people's minds, show them her thoughts and talk to people, but she couldn't do it the way that Edward could, by simply looking at someone. And although she had the power to protect and shield people, it wasn't as advanced as Bella's power was. They would be a great asset in his eyes.

Hermione was different, she had these powers but on a lower level. But she did have something much more than that as well. She had powers that she had only just begun to tap into. Once she came into herself and into her powers, Aro had no doubt that she would probably be the most powerful vampire he would ever meet, and this thought excited him. The other three may be great in their own right but Hermione, she was much more special and rare and he coveted her more than anything else. Not just her powers but her body, her mind and most of all her heart.

Hermione seen all those thoughts cross his face, the awe, the admiration, the respect, and the want. And letting her mind come to its own conclusion, she guessed that he was thinking of Alice, as they filtered across his face.

She could not stop the feeling of jealousy from consuming her, or the hurt that she felt at seeing him admire Alice so much. As crazy as it sounded she felt more upset at his reaction to Alice, than she did at seeing him with his wife or knowing what they got up to on occasion.

Finishing her drink in one long gulp, she put the glass back on the table with much more force than she intended to, cracking one side of it.

"Are you alright mio caro?" Aro asked with concern, noticing the pained expression on her beautiful face and seeing the crack in the glass.

"Yes I'm fine." She said somewhat clipped, refusing to look him in the eyes. Instead she looked around making sure no-one had noticed before casting a wandless spell fixing the crack she had made. "If you don't mind though I would like to head to the Porta all' Arco now." She said, not wanting to be in such an intimate place with him anymore.

Aro furrowed his brows in dismay wondering what had happened to cause such a change in her before calling the waitress back over.

"Possiamo prega di avere il conto ora?" He asked feeling slightly frustrated at Hermione's change in behaviour. Things were going so well until she had mentioned Alice, and he had admitted how he enjoyed seeing her too. Then understanding suddenly dawned on him, causing a small smile to creep onto his lips.

He understood that Hermione was reacting this way because she was jealous at his reaction towards Alice. He could not help feeling gratified by that, knowing that again for her to feel something akin to jealousy must mean that she then felt something towards him.

"Naturalmente Sir, subito." The waitress replied with a flirty smile, mistaking Aro's for something else.

Once again he dismissed her and gazed at Hermione, feeling both fascinated and curious at the sudden revelation.

"So mio caro, you did not answer my earlier question have you got your outfit picked out for the ball yet?" He asked, reclaiming her attention once more.

She sighed, knowing how foolish she had been at her sudden feeling of jealousy and gave a small embarrassed smile to Aro.

"Yes, I have as a matter of fact." She replied running the tip of her finger around the rim of the glass, the action causing a slight whistling sound to emanate from it.

"Do you care to elaborate mio caro or have I to guess?" He asked feeling intrigued.

She laughed at him, relaxing back into his presence.

"You can guess all you want but that doesn't mean I'm going to tell you. No-" She said shaking her head slightly. "I think I'll keep it as a surprise." She smiled at seeing the disappointment flash briefly across his face.

"Shame, but I guess that whatever you have decided to wear will suit you perfectly. I'm sure you mio caro, will be the belle of the ball." His tone sounded slightly flirtatious but he found that the more time he spent with Hermione, the less he could control himself. The pull grew stronger the longer they spent in each other's company and soon he knew, nothing would be able to make him control it. He wouldn't want to either.

After paying the bill Aro, ever the gentleman, once again extended his arm out to Hermione, who took it graciously and without any hesitancy. It appeared that she too was feeling more at ease in his presence, as he did in hers. Again this worked well in his favour, because soon she too hopefully wouldn't be able to resist what was between them.

He escorted her down the narrow winding streets, which were fairly steep to the Porta all' Arco, while Hermione walked with an excited twinkle in her eye, as she gazed up at the large beautiful archway.

"Do you know much about the history of the archway?" Aro asked, curious to see how much research she had done before arriving here in Volterra.

"Just a little bit such as, it is the main gateway into the city of Volterra and was built in the 4th century BC. It is the most famous Etruscan piece of architecture here as well. There has been lots of rebuilding over the years and because of wear they are unsure who the three heads belong too."

Aro looked up at the top of the archway and smiled.

"They say that the three heads belong to the triad of Gods, Volterra's guardian's named Jove, Juno and Minerva from the Greek and Roman mythology, but we do not know for certain, as there has been much speculation over the years." He turned his gaze towards Hermione who was running her hand over the sandstone wall. "The alternative names used are Jupiter, Juno and Minerva." He whispered. "You may be interested to know that every year the people of Volterra re-enact the story of when the people protected the gate in the Second World War."

Hermione looked at him, her eyes wide with interest as she simply asked,

"What happened?"

He chuckled, enjoying seeing her looking so interested in the city's history.

"Well in 1944 when the fighting began and the Germans lay siege to the city, the people of Volterra filled the gap with stones saving it from destruction and to stop it from being a focus of attack. It was a wonderful thing to witness, seeing the people come together to protect something so wonderful and precious." He replied letting his gaze linger on her face much longer than what was necessary.

She looked at him with utter fascination and said,

"You were there."

He chuckled again and grinned, causing her to look suddenly shy as she realised her error.

"You forget mio caro the Volturi have been here for thousands of years. We have seen so much history take place including the siege." His grin turned somewhat menacing as he said, "The people could not protect themselves from the German's so we may have broken one of our laws to help."

Hermione understood exactly what he meant, and despite what the Germans had done, still felt the horror of the soldiers being killed. No matter how long she was a vampire for, she could never imagine ever getting rid of that nauseating feeling when it came to consuming human blood.

Noticing Hermione's horror stricken face, Aro held out his arm to her and she took it once more.

"Now let's head to the Balze Cliffs. I suspect you will marvel at the view." Aro said and he was right.

He easily guided her along the edge of the cliffs, behind a building called the Camaldolese Abbey, which was in a state of abandonment because of how precariously close it was to the edge. These cliffs were a natural phenomenon caused by the erosion of the ground causing a large abyss to appear, that swallowed part of the city and some medieval buildings.

"Quite breathtaking isn't it." Aro said helping Hermione sit down onto the ground as they gazed over the vast landscape.

She turned to him and nodded. Despite the fact that it was now dark and the stars were out, Hermione could see better than any human could. As much as she was enjoying the view, she couldn't help but feel that coming here in the daylight would be a much superior experience, but she doubted if she would ever get that chance.

"Yes it is." She replied looking at him intently. "Can I ask you a question?" She asked in a quiet curious voice.

He turned to her and smiled, nodding his head.

"Of course you can, ask away." He said stretching his legs out in front of him, enjoying the way his left leg brushed against hers.

"Do you miss it?" She asked rather vaguely, her gaze wandering back over to the landscape in front.

Aro frowned then said,

"Miss what? I'm afraid I do not follow you mio caro." He replied feeling confused.

Hermione sighed and copied Aro's pose by stretching her legs out in front.

"Sorry, I mean do you miss the sun. You know going out in the daylight, seeing everything in the light of day rather than in the cloak of darkness. Feeling the sun's rays, warm against your skin." She turned to look at him again, repeating her question once more. "Do you miss it?"

He sighed and let his gaze drift over the landscape as he took a minute to ponder her question. He had never really given it much thought, because being a vampire for thousands of years eroded such memories.

He frowned and said,

"Honestly mio caro I do not know." He replied. "I have been alive for so long that I no longer think of these things anymore. I can't remember what it was like feeling the sun's warmth against my skin. So really my answer to that would be no. I simply cannot miss what I do not remember. But seeing everything in the daylight-" Again he thought for a moment then said, "I guess the answer to that would be yes I do. But the truth is that with daylight comes danger and exposure. Those things put me off venturing out into the daylight, which is why we hardly leave the Palazzo unless we have too. The darkness is reliable and safe, so we tend to go out at night." He looked at her once more and smiled. "So I suppose that yes would be the short answer."

Hermione smiled back at him and took his hand in hers, realising how big this gesture was for him.

"Thank you Aro, for bringing me out today. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."

He sat up slightly, never once taking his gaze away from her, as he watched the loose curl flutter teasingly in the breeze. He twirled it around his finger briefly, before tucking it back behind her ear.

"Believe me mio caro the pleasure was all mine. Sometimes I need reminding of how good the outside world is. So thank you for showing me that."

Hermione had no idea what caused her to do it, but suddenly she found herself in Aro's arms with her lips pressed against his, as they shared an intimate kiss on top of the Balze Cliffs.

His body had stiffened at first and when she went to pull away, he responded, pulling her back against him and kissing her fiercely. She felt herself melt against him as her whole body came alive with passion and desire, the connection they shared exploding within them. In that single moment everything in the world felt right.

His lips against hers. Her body against his. His hand snaking up to her neck. Her hand cupping his cheek. In that moment it was just the two of them in the world, no-one else existed. That was until the pleasure she felt built up causing her to moan out loud, and the passionate noise she made brought her crashing back down to reality.

All of a sudden she realised that not only was she kissing Aro but she was enjoying it, and despite her reluctance to stop, she did and pulled away from him abruptly, noticing the shocked expression on his face.

"Aro I am so sorry. I should never have done that." She said standing up quickly and covering her mouth with her hand, still feeling the tingle of his lips against her own.

He stood up and reached out for her but she pulled away from him again, and stepped backwards.

"Hermione there is no need to apologise. It was the heat of the moment, that's all." He smiled reassuringly but watched in dismay as she shook her head, the curl he had tucked away previously falling down her face once again.

"No. It was a mistake and I am truly sorry." She said feeling ashamed of herself at the fact that in the heat of the moment she had kissed Aro, the Volturi leader, her friend and mentor, and not forgetting a married man. "Oh god." She said turning her back on him, trying to stop the overwhelming feeling of guilt from engulfing her. "I need to get back to the Palazzo Aro. I'm sorry for ruining your evening." She said.

"Hermione listen to me you ruined nothing. The kiss we shared was not a mistake despite what you may think. It was inevitable."

She whirled around so fast and glared at him.

"How can you say that Aro? I just kissed a married man, that is unacceptable."

He took a step towards her but did not dare try and touch her again.

"Hermione be honest with us both for a moment. You cannot deny what we feel, the connection that we share is growing stronger. We belong together." He said flinging caution to the wind.

"No we don't. I don't know what this thing between us is but it cannot go on." She said angry at herself for causing this situation between them. Things had been going well for them until now, until she had spoiled it.

He frowned and said,

"This _thing_ as you call it, cannot be stopped Hermione. You are my mate and the sooner you admit it to yourself, the sooner you and I can be together."

She shook her head no and moved away from him, feeling confused and excited all at the same time.

"No we're not. What we have is nothing more than attraction that is all. You are married and I-" She stopped midsentence as she thought of Severus, suddenly feeling like she had just betrayed him.

"This is because of the dark wizard." Aro replied with unconcealed jealous rage firing through his body.

She gazed at him warily and said,

"No, yes, I don't know." She sighed and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "It's more because the kiss was a mistake. You are married and I will never play second best to another woman." She said somewhat defiantly.

Aro laughed sarcastically and stared at her.

"You think I would ever allow you to be second best Hermione. No mio caro you have it the wrong way."

Hermione's eyes furrowed in confusion as she asked,

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that as my mate you will never be second best, you will be my one and only Hermione. Nothing could ever compare to what we would have together. But can you say the same about your wizard?" He asked raising a curious eyebrow at her.

She frowned feeling her annoyance build.

"Don't bring Severus into this, this isn't about him. It's about me not wanting to be with a married man."

Aro laughed again.

"Ahh my dear sweet Hermione. You fear that you will be second best for me, but all along you have played second best to a ghost, a mere memory this whole time." Her eyes widened in anger at his words and he grinned knowingly at her, unable to stop the hatred he felt towards the dark wizard who stood between him and his mate. "Despite what he may have said to you, you forget I saw his thoughts, I saw what was in his heart. Tell me Hermione do you really believe what he said about the flame haired green eyed beauty that he loved all those years ago? Do you think that after everything he done in her name, it could all be wiped away so quickly by another woman? By you?"

Hermione reeled at him, slapping his face as hard as she could.

"How dare you speak of things that you know nothing about?" She hissed out.

The slap, although not entirely unexpected, left him feeling calmer. He hadn't meant to hurt her with his words, he just wanted her to realise the truth of the situation.

"Hermione I'm sorry, that was completely uncalled for. I shouldn't have said what I did. So I apologise. But if you cannot answer this question for me, answer it for yourself. If that witch was still alive today and he had the chance to be with either one of you. Who do you think he would choose, you or her?" He sighed seeing the hurt register in her eyes then said, "Put you in a room with another woman and for me there would only ever be one choice, without any hesitation. Could that be the same answer for him?"

Despite her anger at Aro, in her heart this question had always lay dormant until now. When Severus had told her that he no longer cared for Lily like he used to, she wanted to believe him. But after what he had done for her, protecting Harry, atoning for his sins, turning to the good side, she couldn't fathom how all of that love could be wiped away in a single moment. But he claimed it had.

Then there was the time Severus had argued with Aro, it was easy to see that he still loved Lily and he probably would always still love her. If he still had feelings for Lily Potter, then could there ever be room for her.

She had told Aro that she didn't want to ever be second best, was that all she was in Severus's eyes, the consolation prize? Or did he love her as much as he said he did.

With these thoughts now running rampant in her mind, it still didn't change the situation with Aro. No matter what he was still married and even if he could, Hermione could not betray Sulpicia in the way that he wanted. With nothing more to say on the subject she simply said,

"Take me back to the Palazzo, now." And he did.

The journey back was quiet and subdued, the tension between the pair palpable. What had started as a lovely evening quickly turned into a disaster, and as Hermione entered back into the safety of her own quarters, she knew that she had no-one else to blame but herself.

She needed to get a hold of herself and fast. The ball was in a couple of days' time and the last thing she wanted was everyone to see the obvious tension between her and Aro, especially since his wife was going to be there. How was she supposed to look the other woman in the eye, knowing what she had done and said behind her back? No. She needed to put an end to whatever was going on now and quickly. The only thing she had to figure out was how she was going to do that.

 **Italian to English translation**

 ***** **Possiamo prega di avere una bottoglia del 1999 Ornellaia, Tenuta di Marchese Ludovico Antinori? - May we please have a bottle of 1999 Ornellaia, Tenuta di Marchese Ludovico Antinori?**

 **(1999 Ornellaia, Tenuta di Marchese Ludovico Antinori) is a bottle of red wine made in the Tuscany Provence.**

 *** Questo e tutto- that will be all.**

 *** Possiamo prega di avere il conto ora- May we please have the bill now.**

 *** Naturalmente Sir, subito- Of course Sir, right away.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

The day of the ball had finally arrived and Hermione felt both excited and extremely nervous. Excited because she knew that Carlisle and Esme would be attending and she would get to see them and apologise, for not telling them about what was happening. She really hoped they would understand her reasons for keeping quiet on the matter, knowing that it wasn't her place to say anything, not until the three leaders of the Volturi had spoken to them all first.

She also hoped that they didn't comment or say anything regarding the vision she had of her own death. If they did mention it then she hoped it was done in the privacy of her quarters and not somewhere they could be overheard. The last thing she wanted was anything taking the attention away from the real reason why they were all there in the first place. Namely the Romanians and the War they were going to declare on the Volturi.

She was also nervous about the fact that she wasn't sure how the vampires of the other covens were going to respond to her. After all, apart from those who already knew her, no-one had ever seen anything quite like her before. She wasn't just a vampire but a witch as well. Her eyes were neither red nor gold but a normal, although unique, human colour. But most of all how could she explain to those who did not know her, about why her heart still beat in her chest. That was such a long story and one she didn't want all these strangers knowing. It was intimate and personal to her and those few who she had told.

That was not the only reason why she was nervous however, the other reason was Aro. Since she had ruined their wonderful evening out together by kissing him, and since he had said all those awful things to her, they had not been in contact with each other at all. True, she had spent all of her time hiding out in her quarters only letting Felix, Demetri or Marcus in, but she hadn't even heard him moving about in his room next door either. Not that she was listening for him.

She had however, almost gotten herself caught in his personal library the day before the ball though, as the lure of the books had been too tempting, which she couldn't ignore for long. So Hermione had succumbed and cast a silencing charm and disillusioned herself before apparating into his private library, checking to make sure that she looked around first for any signs of him, before she wandered around the dimly lit room, browsing the titles of his impressive collection. If it wasn't for the fact that Hermione was a vampire and so was always a translucent white colour, she would have surely been a dark shade of green perusing this library. She was so envious as this room was the things that dreams were made of. She had absolutely no words to describe how she felt being here, but she would have quite happily stayed. She was so engrossed in her perusal that she didn't hear anyone enter Aro's quarters until a high pitched woman's laugh, snapped her concentration.

She cursed herself at once as she realised she had let her guard down, and could be caught at any moment. So as she hastily backed away from the door, bumping into the table and almost knocking over a precious book. She covered her mouth with her hand, to stop the curse words from escaping and listened intently to the other room. The laughter had stopped and a silence had descended until Aro's voice could be heard saying,

"One moment please." Aro said, as his shadow filtered across the gap in the doorway.

"Damn it." Hermione cursed as she quickly cast her spells and apparated away back to her own quarters, as fast as she possibly could. She made it back just in time and so didn't see the small smile that tugged on Aro's lips as soon as the door had opened, and he witnessed her blurry form disappear from sight.

He inhaled the familiar scent of his mate, before closing and locking the door behind him once more. The feeling of pleasure filling him at the thought of Hermione having been there.

Other than almost being caught Hermione hadn't seen Aro since, but that didn't mean she did not think about him. The kiss she had initiated still played out in her mind, as she went over every little detail of it. She wished she could say it was a bad kiss, but honestly she couldn't. It was perhaps one of the best, and it may have even been the most perfect.

Every part of her wanted to yell that what they shared was all wrong, that he was all wrong, but that would be a lie. Despite her feelings and reservations everything felt so right and now she couldn't stop craving more. The only one piece of control that she had left to cling on too, when it came to giving into the temptation of Aro, was reminding herself that he was married.

She could not even hold on to the memory of what she and Severus had shared anymore, for Aro had sown the seeds of doubt in her mind. Was Severus still in love with Lily Potter, had he lied to her and played down Lily's memories? Even when she tried to rationalise things in her mind, that it didn't matter if he loved Lily or not, the biggest obstacle between them was never far away, and that was she was immortal and he was not. Their love was destined to be ruined from the beginning.

So with a new resolution she decided that she would concentrate on becoming a guard member and focus on the upcoming War. She had herself to think about as well as others, and just like how she didn't want the others to worry about her, she wouldn't lose her focus by thinking about unattainable men either. Besides, she had Felix and Demetri who were all the men she needed. She also had Marcus who was like a father figure and Caius who was like a brother. She could live without a romantic relationship for now.

It was because of this new resolution, that Hermione finally picked her outfit for the ball. She wanted to make a statement, and let everyone know that she was serious about her role in the Volturi guard and in the War. And she hoped that everyone picked up on that.

So it was with great excitement that Hermione got herself ready for the evening, styling her hair to perfection, and taking great care in getting dressed. Any nerves that threatened to surface, were quickly pushed back down from where they came from, as she replayed her character's name in her mind like a mantra. Knowing that _she_ wouldn't be nervous going into the unknown, that _she_ would walk in with her head held high no matter what.

If she wanted to prove to everyone that she was ready, then she had to walk into the dome room with all the confidence that she possessed. She had to show them all that she was a warrior and that she was fierce and could take on any challenge thrown her way. That she was everything her outfit was meant to represent.

Putting on her gold sandals and tying them around her legs so that they wound their way up to her calves, she straightened her dress up before adding the last pieces of her outfit. A yellow gold serpent coiled around her left upper arm and a pair of yellow gold earrings which dangled from her ears. She checked her appearance in the full length mirror, twisting and turning to look at herself properly, and couldn't help but feel pleased with the results. She was so glad that she still had her magic otherwise she would never have been able to have pulled off such a wonderful outfit. The only thing she needed now was her gold shield and her gold spear then her look would be complete.

At exactly 8pm a knock on her door sounded and in walked Marcus, looking handsome in a simple long black suit jacket with burgundy cuffs and matching buttons, black trousers, a burgundy waistcoat, a crisp white shirt and black cravat. His hair was pulled back with a burgundy coloured velvet ribbon.

He spread his hands wide as he took in the sight of her, before taking her hand in his and twirling her around slowly.

"You look completely enchanting mio angelo. I can see that I will be the envy of all the single males out there tonight." He chuckled slightly and said, "Good thing I have this with me to beat them all away." He held up a black walking cane causing Hermione to giggle timidly.

"I hardly believe that Marcus. I think they will be far too nervous of me to notice anything else." She said, smoothing down the front of her dress nervously.

Marcus moved closer to her and tilted her head up so that she was staring into his vibrant red eyes.

"Hermione once they get over the shock of meeting you, I won't lie and say it won't be because it will, they will come to adore you, just like we do." He smiled fondly down at her and took her small delicate hand in his. "You will be wonderful tonight, I have every faith in you and I feel very honoured indeed to be the one escorting you. I almost feel like the proud father taking his daughter out to her coming out party." He said puffing out his chest slightly.

Hermione giggled shyly, before standing up on tiptoe to kiss his pale cheek.

"Thank you Marcus, I appreciate your kind words. I feel honoured that you agreed to escort me. So thank you again."

Marcus frowned slightly and shook his head.

"They are not just words mio angelo, nor do you need to thank me for anything. Just believe me when I say that before you came to Volterra my life seemed dark and empty, although I'm not sure why. It was almost as if something important was missing. Then you my angel came, bringing sunshine and warmth with you. You brought life back to this old tired man, and for that I am eternally grateful. I see the bond that we share and I am so glad that I am not alone in feeling it." He smiled at her affectionately and squeezed her hand. "I know that I could never be what your real father was, but know that I am here for you no matter what. You already feel like a daughter to me and I promise I will not let anyone harm you in anyway."

Hermione was completely stunned at Marcus's admission and felt overwhelmed with affection and gratitude for him. The honesty and sincerity in his voice filled her heart with love. She flung herself into his arms and buried her face in his chest trying hard not to let her tears fall, in case they ruined her makeup.

"Thank you Marcus, I can't tell you how much that means to me. I never thought I would find someone like you here when I first came, but I'm so glad I did. I would gladly be called your daughter." She let go of him as he chuckled lightly into her hair.

"Come mio angelo, the time for sentimentalities is over. We have a party to attend and some guests to woe." He kissed her forehead before she quickly checked her appearance once more over at the mirror.

With a nervous sigh she fixed a stray curl, straightened her shoulders then picked up her spear and shield before awkwardly taking Marcus's arm.

He laughed at her again, the amusement shining in his bright red eyes as he asked,

"I know that this goes with your outfit but how on earth do you suppose to dance while holding onto these things."

She smiled and wrinkled her nose as she gazed up at her new adopted father.

"Ahh you see I am a witch after all, and I do have a wonderful sticking charm in mind."

Marcus looked at her with some confusion and quirked his lips up slightly.

"A sticking charm and what, do tell might that be."

She laughed at him and replied,

"You just have to wait and see. I'm sure the audience will be thrilled by a little bit of a magic show."

Marcus shook his head in pretend dismay, unable to hide the small smile from forming.

"I can see that I'm going to have to keep an eye on you. Shall we."

"Before we leave may I just change a little bit of your costume first?" She asked, a small smirk playing on her lips.

He raised a curious eyebrow and looked at her.

"I suppose if you must." He said.

She laughed and waved her hand, casting wandless magic on his clothes. She stepped back and looked at him, a small satisfied smile on her face.

"There that's better, now we match." She said proudly.

Marcus looked down at himself in amazement, no matter how much magic she produced he was always still impressed by all the things she could do and the way she made it look so effortless. He laughed with approval when he noticed the changes she had made. Instead of his outfit being black and burgundy like it was before, it was now black and gold, a perfect contrast to her white and gold outfit.

"Perfect." He whispered squeezing her arm fondly, and with that the newly found matching father and daughter pair left Hermione's quarters and headed to the dome room, where they were the last ones to arrive. Little did Hermione realise just how much she would be the main attraction that night?

* * *

Aro was always meticulous when it came to planning these kind of events, from the décor, to the music, to the guest list and even to the way the event itself was planned out. He did not like mistakes or unplanned surprises, so except from the administration work he did most of the planning himself.

Some guests who had travelled far were given rooms for a couple of nights, those who lived close by came on the evening of the ball. To stop humans from being suspicious about why there was a fancy dress party at the Palazzo dei Priori he always made sure that Heidi and her secretaries made posters advertising a private Halloween themed ball. Of course if any of the humans were interested in purchasing tickets to the event, Heidi and her human secretaries would have to convince them that they were unfortunately sold out, in that charming way of hers.

This meant that when the real guests came to the Palazzo all dressed up in their costumes, no humans were surprised or alarmed. It was a clever ploy that they used often when there would be a large gathering of vampires, and they needed cover so not to be exposed.

This evening was all about asking coven members to join them in the fight against the Romanians, which was Aro's main priority. It was also about introducing Hermione to the other covens and perhaps enrolling her into the guard. According to both Marcus and Caius she was ready, so tonight would be a sort of test for her, to see how she would handle being in a difficult situation.

Aro knew that although he was eager for everyone to meet her, he couldn't just spring her on them without warning. That would be too dangerous for Hermione and he couldn't put her in danger, not if he could prevent it.

So he had planned this evenings events with meticulous care and precision. He and his brother Caius would meet and greet their guests while Marcus saw to Hermione. He would make a welcome speech and alert them to why they were all there and then he would tell them about Hermione, there way to win the War. Once he saw their reaction to the news about her, Marcus would bring her into the room to meet them all. If everything went smoothly, like he hoped it would, then they could enjoy the ball afterwards. That was his plans anyway, he just hoped things went that easily in reality.

The costume Aro had chosen represented his status in the Volturi. He opted for a bronze and black medieval King's tunic, with a high collar and lace up torso. He wore a pair of black trousers, which were tucked into a pair of black boots with a matching bronze turnover just below the knee. He wore a bronze coloured cape and a small gold crown upon his head. His sleek raven hair flowed down his back making him look regal and proud. He wore a sheaf on his hip and tucked inside was a real sword.

Sulpicia, who would be on his arm for the ball, was of course going as his Queen. She wore a long bronze and black medieval dress, which was rounded at the shoulders, and draped down past her wrists. Her brown hair was piled high on her head and she wore a matching gold crown. Her bodice was fit tightly and was embroidered at her bosom, which was on display slightly. Like Aro, she wore a matching cape and they both wore their Volturi crests around their necks with pride and with honour.

While Aro watched her getting ready, he couldn't help but be mesmerised by Sulpicia's grace and elegance. She had been his partner from almost the beginning and although he did love her then, years had passed and things had changed, at least for him they had, long before he had even met Hermione.

He had always known that she was not his true mate, but he loved her anyway and changed her before they married. They had been happy and like any other couple in love, but over the years' things grew stagnant and he knew that she was no longer enough. The love he had for her was no longer of the romantic kind, it was more friendship than anything. But she had always been loyal to him so he had stayed with her, more out of duty than of love.

Then the unimaginable happened, he had finally found his mate and when he did, everything changed again. The gap between him and Sulpicia widened further, although they kept on playing their roles of devoted husband and wife. Things changed even more after Hermione had come to live in the Palazzo.

Aro had wanted her to be kept near him so arranged for her room to be next door. He needed the security and reassurance of knowing she was close by and that she was safe. He was at his happiest when the bond they shared was content at feeling her presence. But over time as they remained closer, the bond deepened and soon craved more. Aro often found himself distracted by it and by her. So much so that he found he could no longer perform his basic marital duties with his own wife.

Ever since Hermione had come to the Palazzo he had not once been intimate with Sulpicia except for chaste kisses, despite the pretence they put on. It was not fair on her, if he was thinking about another woman, and not just any woman but his mate. The thought of even being intimate with Sulpicia was like a betrayal to Hermione, even though he knew that it should have been his wife and her betrayal that he was thinking of.

As he gazed at Sulpicia now, dressed as his Queen and equal, he couldn't help but wish that it was Hermione on his arm. He was becoming impatient and wanted nothing more than to finally claim her but he couldn't, not until she admitted what they both knew. That they were meant to be with each other, that they belonged to one another. Until she admitted that to herself, she would never fully be his.

So for now he had to play the part of devoted husband, all the while thinking of the one woman he truly wanted to be with. If Sulpicia knew that their marriage was over she didn't say anything or act like anything was wrong. He was certain that if she did suspect things were wrong then at least she wouldn't know why.

He had not been the most loyal husband to her in the past, he had affairs behind her back, and he knew that she deserved better than what he could give her. She deserved to be happy with her own mate.

If he and Hermione were to be together, things would be so much different for them. The bond would bind them together completely, more than just a marriage ever could. If he claimed her as his own and marked her, then they would remain faithful and loyal to one another, the mark would warn other males from approaching her, and their relationship would be for eternity. Just like what Marcus and Didyme had together.

But that was just a dream for the moment. For now, he had to focus on the ball tonight. He had to let go of Hermione and his wants for this evening and be the leader that everyone knew and expected him to be. And for that he needed Sulpicia, his Queen, on his arm. If they wanted to get the other covens to help them in this War with the Romanians, then they had to put on a united front. He had to be the leader preparing them for battle, he had to be the devoted husband and head of his coven, if his followers were to follow. Everything depended on this night and he couldn't be the one who disappointed. He was ready.

Sulpicia had been sitting watching Aro in her vanity mirror, the look on his face showed that he was deep in thought, and the thoughts he was having were not good ones. He was under a lot of pressure, she knew that, and with pressure came responsibility and duty, something which she knew that her husband took seriously.

Tonight was important to him. First he had to convince the other covens to join them in this War. Plus he also had to convince them of Hermione, knowing that there could be an uproar at the fact that once again he had broken his own laws by not destroying her.

Her marriage had been going through a rough patch recently, she knew that the stresses and the pressure were getting to him more than usual, causing him to pull away from her. With that a gap had also formed in their sexual relationship as well, but she loved him, and she knew that despite these problems he loved her too in his own way.

As the leader of the Volturi's wife, Sulpicia was well aware of her role tonight, she had been on his arm for thousands of years, supporting him, remaining loyal to him and being by his side. Tonight would be no different.

Slowly she rose from the chair and made her way across to him, kneeling she took his hands in her own, and nuzzled her cheek against them.

"Do not fret my beloved. Tonight will go well you will see." She whispered with a small reassuring smile.

Aro, who had been so deep in his thoughts, hadn't even realised she had come over until she spoke. He turned his eyes to her and smiled, though it wasn't a real smile.

"Thank you my sweet. I do hope you are right." He replied helping her to stand to her feet.

He removed his hands from hers and opened out his arms to her, and she came into them willingly. How she missed these intimate moments with him?

"How do you think the others will take to Hermione? It is your plan on inducting her into the guard is it not?" She asked closing her eyes as she felt her husband tense at the sound of the other woman's name.

She was no fool. She saw the way her husband swooned over the other woman, but she also saw the way the other woman seemed disinterested in him. Her heart appeared to belong to the dark wizard, which Sulpicia couldn't help feel relieved by. She knew that her husband coveted those with power, he lusted over them until he finally had them where he wanted, and she did not expect Hermione to be any different. She was also aware of her husband's numerous affairs over the years, but turned a blind eye to them because of love. As far as she could tell, Hermione and her husband had not crossed that physical threshold, but she could tell he wanted too.

Leaving Aro was not that simple, she had devoted her whole immortal life to him and to the Volturi, and it was the only home that she had ever known or could remember. To leave the place she had lived for thousands of years and the people she loved would be unimaginable. So she ignored his infidelity like a good wife, keeping her place secure. And as far as she could tell he had not been unfaithful to her in a long time.

Aro pulled his head away slightly and looked down at the woman in his arms, she was so trusting and loyal.

"Yes it is. According to my brothers they think she is ready, so I don't see why we can't induct her tonight. Hopefully they will see just how much she can bring to the guard and to this War."

Sulpicia nuzzled her cheek against the fabric of the tunic and sighed.

"Yes I can see why you need her so much."

Aro's body stiffened again at her words and this time he pushed her away from him.

"What do you mean?" He asked feeling tense.

"Well, you need her to win this War don't you? You and the guard need her powers yes?" She asked, trying not to hide her suspicion.

Aro relaxed as he understood her meaning and ran his hands down Sulpicia's arms.

"Yes you are quite right my sweet. This War is more taxing than I thought. The last time it lasted for a century, so I'm hoping that with coven members fighting alongside us and with Hermione's powers, it will be quick and swift."

Sulpicia could hear the strain and worry in his voice. Sometimes she was glad that only she saw this softer side to him, a side that he would normally consider weak amongst men. Gently she lifted her hand up to cup his cheek, looking straight into his eyes as she quietly whispered,

"It won't come to that my beloved." Feeling bold, she crushed her body to his, pressing her lips against his own and kissed him. She kissed him with all the pent up frustration and passion that she felt.

He didn't respond at first, instead he tensed at the action, before he shut his eyes and responded to her. But when he closed his eyes it was not his wife's face that he saw, it was Hermione's. With her image burned into his mind, he began to imagine that it was her who was kissing him, with such passion and vigour and as his thoughts took over, the kiss deepened and he responded fiercely. Consuming the woman whose body he was crushing, wanting to get as close to her as he possibly could.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back just as fiercely. She had missed this level of intense passion with Aro, the likes of which they used to always share, in the days when they could barely keep their hands off each other.

She moaned into his mouth, alerting Aro to the fact that this felt wrong. Her lips were not the same sensual ones as his mate. Her taste was not the sweet nectar he had sampled, causing him to hunger for more. And her scent, the scent that filled his nostrils and clung to her body was not the sweet vanilla and honeysuckle, mingled with her own underlying unique smell. This scent was familiar in its own way, but it was not _hers_.

His mind and body finally caught up with each other, as he realised that this was all wrong, that the person he was kissing was his wife and not his mate. Feeling disgusted by his actions, he pulled away from her, turning his back on the woman who had stood by him through it all.

He hated himself for it, but Hermione was the one who he wanted, the one who he needed. She consumed his every thought and his every desire, becoming almost like an obsession to him now. Sharing anything with Sulpicia, despite the circumstances, wasn't enough anymore.

"Aro what is wrong?" Sulpicia asked, hesitantly placing her hands on his back. Things were going so well and then just as suddenly as the kiss began, it stopped. With Aro pulling away from her once again. She tried to hide the hurt that she felt, knowing that she was losing him.

He moved away from her with the pretence of adjusting his clothes, but truthfully the proximity to the woman who was not his mate, smothered him. At times he wished that he had never met Hermione, because knowing she existed and being apart from her was almost too torturous to bear. There was a limit to how long he could be with her, without being with her, and he was hurtling towards that limit fast.

"We will be leaving soon my sweet. Heidi will be knocking on the door at any moment. I do not want her to catch us in a moment of…. lust." He said with a small smile, trying hard not to wince.

Knowing that he was keeping something back, she adjusted her own clothes and nodded her head slowly, in a show of understanding.

"Yes, that would not do." She agreed, hiding the disappointment that she felt.

Just as she finished speaking a knock sounded on the door and Aro smiled, relieved that he had been right.

"Ahh you see." He said. "Come in." He called out making sure that he was ready.

Heidi walked into the room wearing a black leather catsuit, knee high back leather boots, a small black cat face mask, with pointy ears and a long thin tail that she held in her hand, twirling it around like a whip.

Even Aro could see that she was a stunning woman, despite her powers of persuasion. She was one of the woman who he had slept with behind his wife's back, so he knew what lay underneath the catsuit as well. Before, he would have been easily swayed by her choice of outfit, but tonight not even she could tempt him from the woman who he knew was getting ready next door.

Heidi arched a perfect eyebrow up and grinned at Aro, a catlike predatory glint sparkling in her eyes.

"Do you like?" She asked flirtily, ignoring the fact that Sulpicia was even in the room.

"Yes very fetching." Aro said not responding to her suggestive tone, surprising both women. "Now I take it the reason you are here is because all the guests have arrived and are waiting in the hall?" He asked feeling suddenly impatient.

"Yes Master Aro, they are all waiting for you and Master Caius to make your entrance." She replied feeling disappointed at not causing the normal reaction to the man who had been a previous lover.

"Good." He turned his attention to his wife and smiled, extending his arm out to her. "Are you ready then my sweet?" He asked.

She smiled brightly at him taking his arm.

"I am." She replied.

They followed Heidi to the secret entrance to the dome room that led to the double staircase, where they met Caius and Athenodora who were dressed as an English Lord and Lady in matching silver outfits, which were complete with white wigs.

"What on earth are you wearing brother?" Aro asked with a hint of a smile on his face.

Caius grinned looking down at himself and shrugged.

"I thought it was quite fetching." He replied.

Aro chuckled and nodded.

"Yes quite." Before sighing and settling his nerves. It was time to put on his leader persona. "After you then brother." He said letting Caius and Athenodora lead the way.

The occupants of the dome room fell silent as they watched two of the Volturi leaders descend the double staircase. The three thrones that normally sat in the middle of the room, had been pushed back against the wall underneath the stairs, creating space to allow the visitors in and for the dancing that would be taking place later on. The audience watched as the two leaders guided their wives to their seats, with Caius taking his seat on his throne, as Aro stood tall and proud in front.

He looked around at all the faces, noting who was familiar and who was new, as the guard members circled the room, standing at the exits in case of trouble. Although they were all dressed up and ready for some fun, they had a duty to uphold as well, and so stayed alert in case of any bother.

"My brothers and I would like to begin by saying how happy we are seeing you all here this evening. For those of you who have already been to the Palazzo welcome back, and to all the new faces I see, welcome to the Palazzo dei Priori." He clasped his hands and let his gaze wander over the crowd of about one hundred and fifty, not including the guard members. "Now before I go over the purpose of this visit, I must first tell you all the rules. No-one will hunt, humans or animals, within the walls of Volterra, those who are found doing so will be punished accordingly. And finally if anyone intends to cause trouble tonight-" With that he smiled maliciously, the warning evident for all to see. "Let me remind you that Jane there." He said pointing out the young vampire who was dressed in a black gown and cape, a sweet smile on her young face. "Will have great pleasure in dealing with you."

The audience all knew of Jane's power of pain and none of them wanted to be on the receiving end of it.

"Now." Aro said clapping his hands once, drawing everyone's attention back to him. His face took on a serious expression as he looked at them. "The reason why we have asked you all here tonight, is because it has come to our attention that the Romanians have been building up an army and wish to declare War on the Volturi, and not just us. They want to annihilate large covens, and those who have members with special gifts." He paced in front of the audience, ignoring their gasps of shock and their quiet murmurs. "From our sources it seems they have more than 500 soldiers, and counting. We have also heard that they have a secret weapon, although we do not know exactly what that is. We plan on sending guard members across the Romanian border to find out any information. We have strength and power in the guard unlike any other, but we need more numbers." He stopped pacing and looked out to the audience. "That is why we have called you here today, so that we can ask you if you will fight with us. You do not have to like or respect the Volturi, but this War isn't only just about us. If they win they will come for you. If the Volturi win, then we promise peace against your covens. We do not ask you to respond now, go back home and speak to your other coven members, but we must know by winter. The Romanians plan to strike in February."

Again the room was filled with murmurs and whispers, as they began to deliberate about what Aro had just said.

"What of this secret weapon though?" A man Aro knew as Franco asked. "If such a thing exists then how can we possibly defeat it?" He did not hide the concern in his voice as he spoke.

Aro couldn't believe that they had reached this topic so quickly, he wanted to prolong the subject of Hermione for a little while longer, but it was obviously not meant to happen.

He smiled showing off his small perfect white teeth then said,

"The Romanians secret weapon, may or may not exist Franco. They may be saying that as a way to scare you and us. But the Volturi has a secret weapon of our own, one that we are proud to show you all this evening."

Franco held his head high with suspicion then asked,

"And what is this so called weapon that you claim to have?" He respected the Volturi and some of their ways, but it did not mean he liked them and he certainly did not fear them like others did either.

Aro laughed, enjoying this vampire's tenaciousness and sparring. It was refreshing without being overly disrespectful.

"Not 'what' my friend but who?" Aro replied rather cryptically.

Franco frowned, as the others looked from him to Aro.

"I don't follow." Franco replied.

Aro smiled knowingly then said,

"The secret weapon that we have is not a what but a who. In fact the person is a female, but she is no ordinary female." He let his gaze drift around the room and smiled smugly. "She is no ordinary vampire either. A little while ago a woman came to the Volturi, a witch in fact with some important news. She told us that a young witch had been in a battle with powerful wizards and during this battle a vampire was drawn to her and bit her. Changing her. According to this witch, the young woman in question had both her magic and enhanced vampire powers. We of course didn't believe her, for such a person to exist would mean a law was broken. So we went to see for ourselves if such a claim was true, and guess what it was. Her name is Hermione and not only is she a very powerful witch but she is also an exceptionally powerful vampire who has been living here, training with us and tonight we hope to induct her into the guard. So you see Franco, the Romanians may indeed have their own weapon but so do we." Aro grinned, but behind that mask his nerves rattled. This was the moment of truth to see how they would react.

Everyone began to look around the room, with fear and suspicion written across their faces at such a revelation.

"Why was she not destroyed?" A woman asked.

Aro turned his gaze to her, but did not know who she was.

"Because she agreed to join the Volturi, and has more power than we have ever seen. Why destroy such an asset?"

"Where is she?" Another voice asked.

Aro smiled slightly and said,

"She is currently with my brother Marcus and soon they will be here."

Loud chatter erupted around the room then, as the large group of vampires didn't know how to digest this news. They didn't like the unknown so the thought of Hermione, brought fear to many.

"How do we know we can trust her?" A male voice asked.

Before Aro could answer, a familiar voice cut in.

"I can vouch for her." Carlisle Cullen said, walking towards Aro with a grim look on his face. "Some of my family and I have had the pleasure of meeting Hermione when she was first turned. The powerful Wizard who is the Headmaster at the school she attended wrote to us asking if we could help her." Carlisle paused for a moment before saying, "We saw her powers at work, and we fought alongside her when her school was attacked by werewolves. She may be different to what we have ever seen but believe me when I say she is trustworthy, she is loyal, and she is a pleasure to know. Not only that but she is also like family to us." He turned to Aro and said, "If the Romanians do plan on declaring War then Aro is right, she is an asset to us all. But do not forget that she is also so much more than just a weapon." The last part was said more as a warning to Aro than to anyone else. He knew of the vision she and Alice had, and with Aro proclaiming her to be their weapon, showed that she was instrumental in the War, putting her life more at risk. He didn't like this situation but there was nothing he could do.

Aro picked up on Carlisle's warning immediately and raised his eyebrow at him in curiosity.

"Carlisle is right; Hermione is indeed more than just a weapon. And tonight we hope that after all her training she will finally be part of the guard."

Three loud knocks suddenly sounded from the large wooden doors, and all at once a large smile broke out on Aro's face. The excitement of seeing his mate again filling every part of him. "Ahh I do believe that is her now." He said just as Carlisle removed himself from the front of the room, to head back to Esme. "Felix and Demetri if you please."

He took a step back as the two vampires moved quickly to the door and opened it revealing the vision that was Hermione. The excited smile he wore suddenly vanished as pride filled him. He was utterly enchanted by the beauty as she walked in confidently holding onto his brother's arm.

As soon as he took in her costume he smiled at her choice, realising who she was meant to be at once, and admiring her boldness for it. But then again he expected nothing more from her.

She wore a slim fitting floor length Grecian style one shouldered white gown, with a long slit up one side. Her slender waist was cinched by a large gold belt and in the customary Grecian style she had a golden embellishment at the shoulder, with the hole in the middle.

Her locks were messily piled up, with curly tendrils falling down her back. She had gold leaves decorating her hair as well as a double banded gold hairband. She had a golden cuff around each of her wrist, and a golden snake coiling itself around one of her upper arms.

Just like the Goddess of Wisdom and War Athena she was portraying, she had the shield and the spear and looked every bit the fearsome warrior and Goddess. As she made her way through the hall, Aro found all the previous thoughts he had leave his mind, as he became completely consumed by her. From the moment he saw her standing in the doorway, the sun shining against her back illuminating her from behind. He could have sworn that his heart, which had been as cold and still as stone for thousands of years, fluttered briefly in his chest.

This was his mate and seeing her now in all of her splendour and glory, he wanted nothing more than to share this news with the world. She belonged to him and no-one else. On this night Sulpicia may have been his wife and Queen, but Hermione was his Goddess and his everything.

Hermione held her head high as she walked in amongst the stunned vampires. Marcus's presence next to her was both comforting and reassuring, as they made their way to Aro at the front of the room. She tried to avoid looking at him but as they moved forward, she chanced a glance and saw his eyes transfixed on her.

She tried to hide the shock at seeing the heated expression burning in there bright red depths, and tried to stop her own excitement at building, knowing she had this effect on him. No-one had ever looked at her with so much desire and longing.

Breaking away from her gaze, he stepped to the side allowing Marcus and Hermione to enter the front, and watched with pleasure as they turned to face the rest of the room.

Hermione whispered something into Marcus's ear, causing jealousy to stir deep inside of Aro. He didn't like how close his brother and Hermione seemed to be, even though he knew there was nothing romantic between them. It was the fact that she was close to Marcus instead of him that he didn't like.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Someone yelled out. "You try and claim she is a vampire except we can all hear her heart beating."

Hermione was not fazed by this, although it was the question that she had most wanted to avoid.

"Allow me." She said to the two leaders. Turning her attention to the room, she flicked her hand sending her spear and shield flying to the wall, avoiding hitting anyone as it hurtled through the air, before it stuck in place. Gasps filled the room before complete silence descended. "Yes, as you can see I am not a normal vampire, I was once a witch and somehow managed to keep my magic as well. The short story of my heart is, I was involved in a Wizarding War and during this time because of my actions, something extraordinary happened. My reward was a beating heart, although as you can probably hear it does not sound like a regular human heartbeat. I understand your curiosity in me but please know this, the threat of the Romanians is very real and they have only one thing in mind. Kill the Volturi, destroy all the covens who pose a threat to their power and rule the world. As both a witch and a vampire I do not intend to let that happen. I intend to destroy them just like they want to destroy us. So the question you need to ask yourself is, are you with us?" She looked at them with an air of confidence and defiance, despite the nerves that she felt. The only way to win them around was to show no fear, and she hoped with everything that she had that she was successful in this task. She wouldn't want to be the one that stopped them from joining. She didn't want to let Aro down.

"What kind of powers do you have exactly?" A small woman asked hesitantly, from behind a gold mask that she was wearing.

Hermione wanted to roll her eyes and sigh at being asked this question once again, knowing that the only way to explain was to demonstrate like she had done previously.

"When I first came to Volterra and met the Volturi guard members, they asked me that very same question." She said with a small smile as Marcus squeezed her hand reassuringly. This action did not go unnoticed by Aro who once again felt the feeling of jealousy stir inside of him. "I gave them a small demonstration of my powers so I will do the same for you now." She let her gaze drift over the crowd then said, "I can disappear and reappear anywhere I wish, depending on the distance of course, in a blink of an eye." With that she vanished causing the crowd of vampires to gasp and look around for her. They swivelled around as one to look at the doors to the dome room when they heard her voice. "I can also become invisible." She said vanishing into thin air. "But still be in the room." Her voice said from nowhere. Deciding to have some fun, she walked amongst the crowd touching them, causing them to jump and shriek before appearing back at the front of the room. "I can also perform magic, I can make things disappear, change the colour of an outfit or object, or turn a room into darkness." With that she waved her hand and all the lights in the dome room went off, causing the vampires to gasp with uncertainty.

From the darkness a voice asked,

"And how are these fancy tricks going to help us win a War over the Romanians?"

Hermione easily followed the voice, and when the lights flickered back on, she reappeared standing toe to toe with the large bulky man who spoke up. She tilted her head and smiled, a smile that left the large man unsettled.

"Good question." She admitted before shifting her position into one of defense. "How about this? I can take Jane's power and enhance it by tenfold, not just on one person but on this whole room at the same time. I can take anyone's power and manipulate it to my own advantage." She smiled again and asked innocently, "Care to see?"

He shook his head vigorously then stammered,

"N-no."

"My disappearing maybe a trick to you, but imagine how I can successfully advance on a person without them knowing." She disappeared again and appeared behind a man, her arm wrapped around his throat. "My combat skills aren't too bad either." She said with a grin, not taking her eyes off the person who first asked the question. Letting the surprised vampire in her grasp go, she moved forward, causing the people surrounding her to back away slightly. "If you are still not impressed then how about this." She said looking directly into the eyes of the vampire who asked the question. "I can pick up a man by his throat. Without even touching him." At this she raised her hand and let her magic pulsate through her. The vampire who asked the question gasped in shock, as he was lifted off the ground. His legs kicked out and panicking he grabbed at his throat where he could feel the slight pressure of an invisible hand. "I could make you fly around the room if I wished, or I could just as easily snap your neck in half." She added a little more pressure, letting him feel her strength, before dropping him unceremoniously onto the ground. "Once your neck has been snapped I can easily magic you on fire." She smiled again before bowing her head in respect to the man. "I hope that has adequately answered your question, and I do apologise for using you in my demonstration. But since you asked and all that." She smiled, holding out her hand to him.

Reluctantly, he looked from her face to her hand, before accepting it. Slowly she helped him to his feet and stepped back, not wanting him to feel any more nervous than he already was.

"Thanks, and no problem I did ask." He said trying to add a little humour.

"I can do much more than that, but I'm afraid showing you would take too long and we are here to enjoy the ball that the three Volturi leaders have put on for us." She turned her attention to Aro who had a wide proud smile on his face, as he nodded his head and turned to the crowd. Hermione took her place back beside Marcus's side, and upon greeting her, he took her hand in his and smiled fondly down at her.

"Thank you for that Hermione. Now since you have all seen her for yourself maybe that will encourage you to join us in the fight against the Romanians, but for now as you deliberate your answer, let us enjoy this evenings frivolities, after all the night is still young." He turned his attention to the live band who began to strike up the music. As was customary, Aro guided Sulpicia onto the floor, with Caius and Athenodora following behind.

Marcus turned to Hermione and whispered,

"Care to share a dance with this old man mio angelo?"

She smiled at him warmly and nodded her head.

"Of course."

And with that the three leaders started the dancing off in a slow waltz, as vampires from the guard and some of the covens joined in. While others stood around the room, watching and discussing about all that they had heard.

Sulpicia looked over her shoulder to Marcus who was smiling wildly, affection shining in his expressive eyes. It was nice seeing the change in him, no longer was he the introverted sour man he had been. He was currently in deep conversation with Hermione, who was smiling just as broadly between giggles.

She leaned into her husband and whispered,

"Beloved I must say how nice it is to see Marcus and Hermione get on so well together. Do you think there may be a romance between them?"

Aro wanted to growl out loud at his wife's observation. The bond Marcus and Hermione seemed to share was obvious to everyone, but what exactly that bond was, was not yet understood. If his brother had romantic feelings towards her, knowing that she was his mate, he would not be at all pleased.

"I have no idea my sweet." He said, trying to hide the sudden rage that consumed him.

"Well I think they are well suited to each other. Just look at how happy they are." She looked into her husband's face, waiting for some kind of reaction but none came.

Aro let his gaze wander to his brother and his mate, and tried to push down the burning anger that he felt. They did in fact look happy in each other's company and this did not sit well with him.

"I can see that." He said sounding snappish, instantly dismissing the conversation.

They did not converse for the rest of the song, and every once in a while he caught sight of Hermione. Their eyes met briefly twice, and both times the pull he felt wanted to consume him. He wanted nothing more than to go to her, but he couldn't. Not yet.

Hermione was enjoying talking with Marcus, since their earlier discussion they seemed more at ease together in each other's company than they had before. It was almost like a shift in their relationship had happened, cementing them now as father and daughter.

While they were dancing she often felt Aro's eyes on her, and the two times she had dared herself to meet his gaze, the heat she saw in them wanted to burn her. She was more drawn to him now than ever before, and could feel all her previous resolve slowly melting away. The need to be with Aro was becoming too powerful to ignore, and the more she tried to ignore it, the more she needed him.

"Are you alright?" Marcus asked her, his face full of concern.

She shook her head momentarily, before looking up at him.

"What yes sorry I'm fine." She said. Out of everyone in the Volturi she wanted nothing more than to talk to Marcus about what she was feeling, and although she trusted him explicitly, she felt that by admitting she was drawn to a married man, she would be disappointing him somehow. And she couldn't bare that thought, not so soon after the development of their newly found relationship.

"Hermione you know that I am here to listen and talk with, should you ever need to. For anything." He said reassuringly.

The guilt she felt at hiding these secrets from him of all people, was threatening to overwhelm her. And in that moment she was so close to confessing, needing to release her fears and worries to someone she trusted.

But at that moment as she looked away from his penetrating gaze, and into the face of someone so familiar. She gasped audibly in shock, and stopped dancing right there on the dancefloor. Marcus who had followed her gaze, smiled knowingly down at her and whispered,

"Go, have fun." She looked away from the familiar face, realising where she was and what she was supposed to be doing.

"Marcus I'm so sorry it's just that I-"

He cut her off instantly and said,

"Hermione I know, now go." He bent his head down and kissed her cheek fondly before letting her go. "If you need me, you know where I will be."

She smiled up at him and squeezed his hand affectionately whispering her thanks, before setting off into the direction of the faces she so missed.

In front of her eyes were Carlisle, Esme and they were not alone as she had believed them to be. Alice and Jasper were also there to her pleasant surprise, although seeing the grim expression on Alice's face, she suddenly felt herself become nervous.

"I can't believe you are all here." Hermione said with a small timid smile, which only Carlisle and Esme reciprocated. Jasper nodded his head like an old friend, while Alice frowned.

"That's it, that's all you have to say." Alice said throwing her hands up in agitation.

"I'm not sure what exactly you want me to say." Hermione replied, feeling both her defenses going up and her stomach sinking at seeing her friend look so visibly upset.

"Well you can start by telling me what the hell that out there was." Alice said.

Hermione frowned in confusion and asked,

"What do you mean?"

Alice sighed and folded her arms across her chest, feeling exasperated by her friends behaviour.

"You out there performing your little demonstration. Hermione what the hell is going on with you? The person we just saw out there wasn't you, not the you that we know and care about anyway. Hermione you've changed, you're becoming one of them."

Hermione understood now and smiled, although it was a smile that did not reach her eyes.

"Alice I am one of them now. I plan on joining the guard as soon as they will let me." She replied honestly, taking Alice's hand, but the other vampire pulled away.

"Hermione you are not one of them. You will never be. Come back to Forks with us, keep away from them and the War. Please." She begged.

Hermione frowned and shook her head.

"No Alice. Volterra is my home and the Volturi are my family now. I have friends here, and a life, I fit in." Hermione replied, hoping that her friend understood. But she didn't.

"They are not your friends and certainly not your family. They are using you Hermione." Alice exclaimed in frustration.

"No they're not, they need me to help win the War and I plan on doing so."

Alice groaned in frustration realising she was losing this battle.

"Just before you came in Aro proclaimed you to be their secret weapon against the Romanians. Believe me Hermione he does not care about you. He is using you. Please come back with us tonight, if you don't then you know what's going to happen in the War. You're going to-"

Hermione pulled Alice to the back of the room instantly silencing her. The anger was apparent in her face as she said,

"Do not speak of that here, in front of them." She said sternly.

Alice's eyes widened in shock as realisation dawned on her.

"You haven't told them yet have you, about the vision." It was not a question but a statement. "Oh my god I'm right. Hermione you have to tell them. You need to tell Aro about what you saw."

Hermione shook her head vigorously at her friend's words.

"No." She said determinedly.

Alice's gaze drifted over Hermione's shoulder and at once her body tensed.

"Hermione." But before she could finish what she was saying, Hermione cut in.

"Alice no, I will not tell the Volturi, especially not Aro about the vision. They have enough to think about at the moment. And that's final."

"Tell me about what vision exactly." Aro's annoyed voice said drifting over her shoulder, causing Hermione to squeeze her eyes shut and sigh in defeat. She hoped that things wouldn't come to this but she had let her guard down. So much for constant vigilance, she thought thinking of Alastor Moody. She opened her eyes, but did not turn to face Aro just yet.

 **To find Hermione's dress type in Prom-Dresses-Shimmer-59223 in Google then go to images. It is the first dress that appears (or should be.)**

 *** mio angelo- my angel**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

Aro had been watching Hermione and Marcus dance and talk with ease, with the feeling of jealousy threatening to overwhelm him. Despite the fact that Sulpicia, his own wife, was currently in his arms at the moment.

He watched as Hermione stopped dancing suddenly, her gaze pinned onto something or rather someone, as Aro soon found out, to the other side of the room. He let his gaze drift over to where she was looking and smiled when he saw Alice Cullen standing there with some of her family members.

Normally he would have only invited the leaders of each coven, but he knew how much Hermione missed Alice and the rest of the Cullen's and so made a couple of exceptions. He knew seeing them would make her happy, and if Hermione was happy then so too was he.

He looked back at her just as Marcus bent his head to kiss her cheek, as she gazed up into his face rewarding him with a bright smile, before she headed off to talk to the Cullen's. The jealousy almost became too much then, but he found that he couldn't focus on that at the moment, for something even more curious happened instead.

As Hermione joined the Cullen's she spoke to each of them but when she and Alice stopped to speak, the tension between them was obvious. Something he had not expected. He had been sure they would have been happy to see one another after being apart for so wrong.

Letting his curiosity win, he bent his head down and whispered,

"Sorry my sweet I must cut our dance short. Something has come up."

Sulpicia tried not to let her disappointment show, so simply smiled at her husband.

"Will you be long beloved?" She asked hesitantly, wondering what on earth could have come up while they were in the middle of dancing.

He looked at her, trying to hide his own annoyance at being delayed. He wanted to know what was going on with Hermione and he wanted to know now.

"I'm not sure how long I'll be. But go and enjoy yourself, I will find you when I'm finished." He brought Sulpicia's hand up to his lips and lay a kiss on her unblemished hand, before walking away from her to find Hermione.

He did not go to her straight away, instead he mingled into the crowd and simply observed the two women's interactions. It was obvious that something had happened between them, he just wanted to know what.

His eyes widened in surprise as Alice said something and Hermione quickly pulled her to the side, whispering something that he couldn't hear. His curiosity grew even more at that, and so he moved up behind them. Alice was the first to see him as her gaze moved over Hermione's shoulder to him. She stiffened instantly and said,

"Hermione."

Hermione who was oblivious to his presence simply said,

"Alice no, I will not tell the Volturi, especially not Aro about the vision. They have enough to think about at the moment. And that's final."

At her words Aro tensed as sudden annoyance coursed through him. Hermione had had another vision but didn't tell him or anyone else in the Volturi. It was obviously important, otherwise she and Alice wouldn't be arguing about it now. So with that he wondered what it was she could possibly be hiding.

"Tell me about what vision exactly." He asked stopping directly behind Hermione. Unable to take his eyes off of her, he studied her body language, taking in every little detail. From the way her shoulders sagged slightly in defeat to the audible sigh that escaped.

Whatever the vision she had was, she obviously had no intention of discussing it, especially not with him.

"Well." Aro said as silence descended onto the small group.

Hermione still hadn't turned around to face him, as she couldn't tell him about what she saw. She just couldn't.

"Hermione tell him please." Alice begged. Hermione could only respond by shaking her head slowly, causing Alice to sigh in frustration. She knew this was hard for her friend but something had to be done, and although she didn't like Aro after what he had put her family through, she knew that he was Hermione's best chance. With a new resolve she looked Hermione defiantly in the eyes and said, "If you won't tell him then I will."

Hermione sighed again knowing that she was losing this battle with Alice. Aro had overheard their discussion and knew that something was wrong, and Alice wouldn't stop until he had heard everything. There was no way she could hide it from him now.

"Alice enough." Carlisle said, stepping between the two women. He looked at Hermione and put a hand reassuringly on her shoulder. "I know this is hard for you, but Alice is right. Aro and the Volturi need to know Hermione."

Aro felt anger surge through him as they spoke as if he wasn't there. He could feel the worry pulsate from his mate and that did not sit well with him, for she was a fearless warrior and afraid of very little. If the vision had Hermione and the Cullen's worried, then obviously it was something much worse than he originally feared.

"I suggest that one of you start talking now and tell me what is wrong before I call the full guard for a meeting." Aro said, unable to hide his frustration and anger any longer.

For the first time since he had come over to them, Hermione turned quickly to face him, her beautiful eyes wide with worry and concern. Something inside of his chest clenched then at seeing that look on her face. And he had to fight the sudden urge to pull her into his arms and not let go, feeling the overwhelming need to protect and care for her. He had never felt this way before, ever, not even with Sulpicia, and he found that it both excited him and unnerved him.

"Aro please don't. I will tell you everything I promise, but not here and not now." She said, as her worried gaze wandered around the room to Marcus, Caius and the rest of the guards. They all looked like they were having fun and she didn't want to be the one who ruined that, then she turned her gaze back to Aro pleading with him.

He was watching her with quiet contemplation trying to control his annoyance. If the vision was as bad as they were making it out to be then she was right, this was not the place to discuss it. But at the same time if it was that bad then he needed to know what it was sooner rather than later. With that his decision was made.

"Very well then Hermione, we shall head to the shared quarters now and discuss things there."

Her eyes widened even more in surprise as she said,

"We can't talk now, what about the ball and all of your guests. You simply can't leave them." She hoped that reminding him of where he was and what he was supposed to be doing, would change his mind. But unfortunately for her it didn't.

"They can wait; _this_ is more important." He replied, unable to hide his concern and his feelings for her from his voice.

Carlisle and Alice heard the softer tone of his voice and looked at each other with curious wonder. Never had they ever expected to see Aro Volturi care about anyone more than himself. It was unnerving to say the least.

He suddenly turned to Carlisle and said,

"You and Alice can come with us. I will go and speak to my brothers first and tell them to keep an eye on things." With that he turned his attention back to Hermione and gently touched the soft skin of her arm. This simple gesture sent bolts of electricity rippling through his body, and although he wanted to give in to the sensations that she provoked in him, now was not the time. "You take Carlisle and Alice to my shared quarters, I will be with you all momentarily. Whatever the problem is we _will_ get it sorted."

Hermione felt her throat constrict at his words, as his thoughtful consideration was enough to bring her small pity party to an end. The reason why she had certain visions in the first place was so that she could prepare and change that possible outcome, like the one she had of defeating Voldemort, about the Volturi coming, the battle with the wolves and now this. If those visions could be changed then so could this one. Aro was right, they would find a way to sort things, and if not then she would deal with that when the time came.

"Thank you, you're right." She squeezed his hand back in return then looked towards Carlisle and Alice. "So are you both. I'm so sorry guys, I thought not saying anything would be better for everyone. I was wrong. I need your help." She whispered.

Alice rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Of course you do silly that's why we're here. We care about you, you know." Alice said pulling her into a long hug.

Hermione smiled into her friend's shoulder and laughed, feeling like a weight had just been lifted from her.

"The feelings mutual." She replied back.

Aro who had been watching the whole thing suddenly interrupted the moment.

"Well now that, that is out of the way. Shall we, before we use up any more time."

Alice and Hermione turned to him and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah sorry." Hermione replied a small smile curving her lips.

"Good." With that Aro turned and walked towards Marcus who was standing with a group of people, laughing and joking with them. The sight was one in which he had not seen in years, and never thought he would again.

"Brother may I have a quick moment of your time please." He said drawing Marcus away from the group he had been chatting with.

"Of course." Marcus replied noting the concerned expression on his brother's normally stoic face. "Whatever is the matter brother?" He asked as soon as they were out of earshot from the others.

"Something, although I cannot tell you what just yet, has just come up. I need to go for a small meeting so I need you and Caius to keep an eye on things while I am gone."

Marcus looked at him, his face full of worry.

"Aro is everything alright?" He asked, looking around for anyone who was trying to listen in. "Where is Hermione?" He said noticing her absence at once.

Aro glared at him, feeling his possessiveness towards Hermione rise at his brother's words.

"She has gone with Alice and Carlisle." He replied tersely. "As for your first question, that's what I intend to find out." He went to walk away but Marcus quickly stopped him, by placing his hand on Aro's arm.

"What is going on, if it has something to do with Hermione then I must know." He replied, trying to keep his voice at nothing more than a whisper.

Aro moved his arm away at once and frowned at his brother.

"Why? Why must you know brother? What has Hermione, _my mate_ -" He hissed out. "Got to do with you?"

Marcus frowned at Aro's tone, trying to understand just what it was he was trying to imply, when sudden realisation dawned on him. He laughed in Aro's face and shook his head.

"You think I have romantic feelings for her. Oh brother you are sorely mistaken there."

Aro did not like being laughed at, especially not to his face by someone who he both trusted and respected.

"Then tell me which part I have wrong because I am not the only one to think that."

Marcus looked around, noticing that they were beginning to draw some attention from the rest of the room.

"We should not discuss it here Aro, as we are causing somewhat of a scene. But believe me when I say that my feelings for her are not romantic. They are of the paternal nature. As I said before however, I will explain things to you later."

Aro's eyebrow rose in curiosity as he said,

"Paternal."

Marcus nodded his head and chuckled lightly.

"Yes. Now go to your meeting and try not to be too long. People will begin to wonder where you've gone otherwise."

Aro nodded before walking off, feeling somewhat reassured by Marcus's words. So whatever was going on between his brother and his mate wasn't of a romantic nature. All that jealousy he had been feeling earlier was therefore foolish and unnecessary. He should have trusted them but he hadn't, instead he came up with the wrong conclusion. Marcus had said that his feelings towards Hermione were of a paternal nature, meaning he saw himself as a father figure not a potential lover.

Despite his earlier feelings, this news pleased him immensely. It meant that Hermione now had a strong bond towards the Volturi, which meant she would hopefully be less inclined to leave the guard and Volterra, and more importantly him. He could perhaps use this bond to his advantage if necessary.

Yes, perhaps this was a good thing after all. He smiled smugly as he made his way towards the private quarters he and his brothers shared, where Hermione and the two Cullen's would be waiting for him. As he reached the door to the quarters he quickly masked his features, hiding the smile from his face. Now was not the time to gloat, he could do that after he found out what was causing all this tension.

Stepping into the room, he saw Alice and Hermione standing talking quietly to one another, while Carlisle stood apart from them, giving the two women a private moment together.

Closing the door behind him, Aro turned his attention to his mate, to his Goddess and quietly said,

"Now mio caro, care to explain what this vision was all about?"

Her body tensed as she turned her attention to him. She tried to speak but for some reason found that the words did not come. How could she explain to him exactly what she saw, how could she explain that in detail and out loud? Then she knew that the only way for her to explain the vision, was for her to show him instead, and seeing that vision again made her feel sick. It was bad enough that she was already haunted by the thought of it, never mind having to replay it over again.

"I can't do it." She whispered to no-one in particular, as she turned her back to the room and leaned against the table for support.

Alice placed her hand gently on Hermione's shoulder in understanding before turning to Aro.

"I'll show you." She whispered.

"Very well then." Aro replied taking his brown leather gloves off and holding out his hands to Alice. She looked from her friends back to Carlisle's face who simply nodded his head and smiled reassuringly at her.

"Go ahead." He said encouragingly.

With a small sigh Alice closed the distance between her and Aro and took his hands in hers. He closed his eyes and began to use his powers on her, as she brought the vision to the forefront of her mind and let Aro see Hermione's death in every little detail.

When he had saw everything, he let go of Alice's hands as if he had just been burned, and gasped out loud before turning his gaze to Hermione, who still stood with her back to them. Her hands gripping on to the edge of the table tightly.

She squeezed her eyes shut at the sound of the pained noise that she heard come from him, knowing that Alice had showed him it. She couldn't turn to look at him for she didn't want to see the expression on his face, or on Alice or Carlisle's for that matter. She would prefer him to be angry at her for keeping such a thing to herself, not the look of sympathy that she would surely see on all of their faces.

"Alice and Carlisle please leave us now." Aro simply said, still not taking his eyes from Hermione's back.

Alice and Carlisle turned to look at each other, before they moved out of the room.

"Hermione should you need us; you know where we are." Carlisle said, with one last look at them both before he ushered a reluctant Alice out of the room.

"Thanks." She whispered, just as the door closed behind her and Aro.

"Why didn't you tell me about the vision?" Aro asked, feeling a wide range of emotions course through him at once.

Hermione sighed before saying,

"I didn't want the vision to distract anyone. The guard have to be focused on the fight not on me." She said truthfully.

"No, I asked why didn't you tell _me_." He said, trying not to let his emotions affect him too much, but failing as he slapped his hand against the leather couch in anger. "Do I not have the right to know that my mate is going to die, trying to save _my_ coven?" Saying the words out loud made things seem so real now, to both of them.

Hermione squeezed her eyes shut again, this was what she was trying to avoid happening. Aro needed to be focused on the War not her, so she had to push him away.

"You are not my mate Aro so stop saying that. I am just another vampire with attractive powers to you. That's all." Even as she spoke, the pull she felt towards him pulsated around them.

He moved over to her so quickly, surprising her, when she felt his hands go to her waist.

"Look at me." He said, but when she didn't move or acknowledge him, he turned her to face him himself, and tilted her head up slightly. "I said _look_ at _me_." He commanded this time.

She opened her eyes and gazed up at him, as he pressed the front of his body against hers, while her back was pushed up against the table. He had her wrists pinned by her side as he gazed down at her, with a fearsome look burning deep within his eyes.

To Hermione, he had never seemed more beautiful to her than he was at that moment. And never had her body wanted to respond to someone's touch, as much as it wanted to now. It seemed like the whole of her body, from her toes to the ends of her hair, was burning with passion and desire for him.

"Despite the fact that you have yet to admit what we share, that you are too scared and too much of a coward." He said adding more pressure to her wrists than he intended. "Doesn't mean that I am."

She glared at him but did not try and remove herself from his grip.

"I am neither scared nor a coward." She replied defiantly, tilting her head up to him.

"If you think that I am going to let you die then you are very much mistaken Hermione." His voice had softened slightly as he said this, but his eyes were still hard and full of a determined fire.

"You need to focus on the guard not me." Hermione said, letting her body push itself involuntary against his more.

He broke eye contact for a moment, trying to bring himself under control but failed.

"Hermione." He whispered, the word full of pain and anguish. "I have waited my whole existence for you to come along, never thinking or believing for a moment that you ever would." He knew that he was being weak by opening up to her in this way, but he couldn't stop himself. He needed her to know how he felt, he needed her to know just how much he felt. "I cannot let you go to War knowing what will happen. I cannot lose you, not now that I finally have you." He bent his head and lay his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. Savouring the sweet intoxicating scent of her, and relishing in the unique sound of her heart beating.

It was funny, he never really paid much attention to the sound her heart made, but listening to it now, he focused on the steady rhythm, realising for the first time, that no matter what situation she was in, her heartbeat never quickened or slowed down, it simply continued to stay in the same steady rhythm. Letting go of one of her wrists he lay the palm of his hand against her breast, above her heart, and simply concentrated on the feel of it beating against him. It was truly remarkable.

Hermione savoured every moment with him, and every touch he made, knowing she could not give him what he wanted. If she didn't admit to being his mate, then perhaps if she did die, he would not grieve the way that Marcus had for Didyme. She did not want him to waste his life surrounded in darkness, not over her. And not if she could prevent it.

Fighting against her instincts and her wants, she reached up and gently caressed his cheek, moving his head so that she could look into his eyes.

"Aro how can you lose what you never had to begin with?" She asked, in little more than a breathy whisper.

He removed his hand from her chest and placed it on top of hers, before nuzzling his nose against her skin. He kissed her wrist gently and lovingly, before moving his lips against her palm, enjoying every last detail of her.

Hermione watched in surprise as Aro pulled her hand away slightly, before he kissed each of her fingers slowly and methodically, as both of their resolve melted away, until nothing but fire and passion consumed them. Very slowly he dropped her hand letting it fall back to her side, before cupping her face gently, and gazed longingly down at her.

Hermione wanted to stop what she knew was about to happen, but instead found that only one word escaped, and that was his name. Having all the encouragement that he needed Aro slowly brought his lips to hers, gently at first, as she tentatively responded back to his kiss. Hermione's body slowly melted into his, and she moaned with delight, as the kiss quickly grew.

The sound she made was like music to Aro's ears and he delighted in the noise that he had invoked from her. Slowly he moved his hand up her back to the nape of her neck, and tilted her head slightly, as he kissed his way from her mouth to her throat down to her shoulder, the place where he wanted to lay his mark, but not before she admitted the truth.

Pulling away from her, he smiled in delight, at her little moan of protest, as she pressed her body into his further. Looking into her eyes he noticed how they had darkened in passion and in hunger for him.

"Hermione tell me that you're mine. Tell me that I am your mate." At his words she shook her head no, so at her reluctance he bent his head down once more, and kissed her again. This time harder and more urgent. It didn't take Hermione long to melt against him, and at the contact it was Aro who moaned in pleasure.

Unable to stop himself he picked her up and placed her on top of the table, moving so that his body was now between her legs, the place where he belonged.

All sense and reason had left, as only want and need fueled her now. Lost in the moment Hermione moved her arms, wrapping them around Aro's neck, and pulling him closer to her as she kissed him back with an all-consuming hunger.

"Aro please." She whispered, as he wrapped her soft hair around his fingers.

He sighed into her mouth and reluctantly pulled away from her, but she didn't want to let him go.

"Hermione, as much as I want to continue this, we can't." He said much to both of their surprise. "Haven't you realised yet what you mean to me." He kissed her lips once more, gentle and slow, as he moved away from her. "I will not treat you like you are less than what you are." He admitted. He had dalliances in the past that were meaningless to him, with women that did not matter. He did not want Hermione, his mate to be turned into one of those dalliances. "I want so much more than this, but first I need you to say it." He whispered against her earlobe causing her to shudder. "Say it Hermione." He then moved to kiss the shell of her ear and her neck. "Tell me that I am your mate. That you want and need me."

It was Hermione's turn to pull away from him, as she let her gaze fall to his face.

"Aro I-" The words he so wanted to hear, were almost spoken but she stopped herself in time, as she gazed at him in curiosity. "Do you love me?" She asked him suddenly.

He looked down at her and frowned, not expecting her to ask such a question.

Pushing him away gently she moved from the table and away from him, but never once did she remove her gaze from his face.

"I asked, do you love me? Everything that you are saying now, is that just because of this connection we have. Or are you saying it because you love me?" She folded her arms across her chest as she looked at him, waiting on an answer.

"Why are you asking this? The connection we have, the fact that we are mates is greater than love. It is an eternal bond, something that is so precious in our world. Love is nothing in comparison to that." He made a step towards her but she moved back stopping him from going any further.

The truth of the matter was that he had never really given it any thought before. He certainly felt something for her, he wanted to care for her and protect her, he was attracted to her, and every thought he possessed was about her. He had loved only one other person before and that was Sulpicia, but what he had felt for her then, was so much different than what he felt for Hermione now. But he simply put that down to the mating bond, for nothing was as important than that.

Now as he stared at the woman he wanted, the woman who he was destined to be with, he asked himself that same question.

Was he in love with Hermione? The honest answer was that he didn't know.

With a sigh he looked away from her piercing gaze, and Hermione took that small action as all the answer that she needed. It hurt her more than she would ever care to admit, knowing that he did not love her. Knowing that the reason he said those things was because of the connection they shared. If they didn't have that, then would he still be saying those things to her now? Somehow she doubted it. But the truth was she did not love him yet either, although over the past little while she was beginning to feel something for him. Despite trying everything not to.

Trying not to cry in front of him, she moved towards the door, not letting herself look at him, for fear the tears would fall.

He took her hand in his and pulled her into his arms, holding her to him, despite her protests. He couldn't let her leave, not like that, not when things had been going so well between them.

"Hermione." He whispered soothingly, kissing her soft curls, then doing the same to each of her eyelids, where tears ran down her soft cheeks. She closed her eyes, not wanting him to see her look so weak and vulnerable. But at that moment he didn't care. "Just because I can't say it yet, doesn't mean I won't. We have only just begun the first chapter of our lives together. You are mine, just as must as I am yours. Nothing will change that."

She looked up at him and cupped his cheek,

"Time will." She said sadly.

He pulled her in closer and kissed her forehead, knowing the meaning behind her words instantly.

"No I won't allow it." Wrapping his arms around her, doing the one thing he had wanted to do all night, he held her tightly against him and refused to let her go. He would keep her safe no matter what. "You will not fight with us Hermione. You will stay here where you will be kept safe."

She frowned and looked up at him.

"I won't stay here and let you all do the fighting. That is not what you promised those people out there." She said.

He inhaled the sweet scent of her hair and shook his head, trying to dismiss her words.

"I don't care. I will keep you safe."

Hermione sighed and lay her head against his chest, letting him hold her the way she so wanted to be held.

"You can't do that Aro. You need me if you want to win and you have a duty to your people."

"I have Jane and Alec to help win Hermione. I need you safe and alive."

She stood on tiptoe and kissed his jaw, then his mouth, slowly and a little unsure.

"You need to be their leader Aro. You need to lead them into battle. And I need to be at your side. We both know that these visions can change, the future is not set in stone."

He looked down at her, and felt something inside of him melt away.

"I won't lose you."

This time all she said in return was,

"You won't."

He kissed her again just as a knock sounded on the door. He sighed in frustration as he reluctantly let her go, before calling the person to come in.

Demetri stepped through the doorway looking from the leader of the Volturi, to his good friend sensing the atmosphere in the room at once. His face showed no signs of knowing as he said,

"I apologise for interrupting Master Aro, but Master Caius asked me to come and get you. Several coven members wish to discuss important matters with you." He said with a slight respectful bow to his head.

"Thank you for that Demetri. I shall go at once." His voice was clipped as he glared at the young guard member. Sadly for him, he and Hermione could not stay hidden for the rest of the evening. "Oh and Demetri will you inform the other guard members that there will be a meeting tomorrow. Everyone must attend. Thank you." He turned his attention back to Hermione who was avoiding his gaze. Sometimes he really wished he knew what she was thinking at times. "Mio caro I must go but with regards to what we discussed earlier with the Cullen's, that business remains with us. As for the other matter, now you know do not forget. Also as of tomorrow we shall be inducting you as one of the guard members, you must prepare for War." It pained him to say the last part, knowing just exactly what he could be losing in the process. But the smile she gave him eased any such misgivings, for now.

"Thank you Master Aro." She smiled, knowing there was nothing else she could say at the moment while Demetri was there.

"Now the Cullen's and dear Marcus will be worried about you." He took her hand in his and went to kiss it, but with his back turned towards Demetri, he flipped it over, and instead kissed the tender spot on her wrist, letting his lips linger a little longer than necessary. He savoured the taste of her skin and her sweet scent, before leaving while he still could.

Hermione watched him go, a small smile playing across her lips as her other hand traced the spot his lips had been only mere seconds ago. Her skin still tingled at his touch.

"Hermione what the hell was that?" Demetri said, closing the door and walking towards his friend, breaking her from the trance she was in.

She finally noticed that he was still there and tried to mask the giddy happiness that she felt.

"What was what?" She asked, trying to play ignorant.

"What was that just now between you and Aro?" He frowned at her then said, "Are you having an affair with him?"

"What, no of course not." She said indignantly. She wasn't having an affair as such, for they had not yet crossed that line, but after everything that had just happened they weren't far away. Suddenly she became guilty as she thought of his poor wife. No matter what it always came back to the fact that he was married, and despite what they felt for each other, nothing would change that.

"Oh God." She whispered, as she sat down on the couch, covering her face with her hands. "What have I done?" She said.

Demetri sat down beside her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Tell me what happened Hermione it can't be that bad." He said.

"It is; it is that bad. I should never have let things get that far." She replied.

"So you are having an affair with him." He replied, not judging his friend at all. Not after everything she had done for him and Felix.

"Of course I'm not." She replied again.

"Then you want to." He stated.

She sighed and closed her eyes.

"I want more than an affair I think." She admitted out loud for the first time.

Demetri looked surprised by her admission not knowing what to say. He always believed that she loved Severus, her wizard back home.

"I don't understand are you saying that you love him?" He asked, trying to understand what was going on.

She sighed again all the while looking down at her clasped hands.

"Not yet but I'm close too." She again admitted. She turned her gaze to him and smiled weakly. "Demetri, Aro is my mate." She finally said the words Aro had been longing to hear out loud, but not too him.

Demetri grinned widely and hugged her.

"Hermione that's wonderful. I take it he feels the connection too." He asked suddenly.

She smiled sadly and nodded her head in reply.

"Yes he does, but I haven't given in to it yet, I haven't admitted it out loud either. Well not to him anyway."

Demetri couldn't hide the shock from his face.

"What why not?" He asked, never had he heard of such a thing before. Those who he knew were mates, they all gave in to it eventually, you couldn't not. Despite the fact that his relationship with Felix was a secret, they both had tried to ignore it and eventually couldn't. It was never that easy or simple.

Hermione sighed and stood up from the couch and began to pace.

"Demetri the whole things a mess. He's married for one and I can't be the woman who breaks up a marriage I just can't."

He stood up and went to his friend in order to console her.

"Hermione despite what you may think in our world nothing is as precious, or more important than finding your mate, believe me I know. Sulpicia, although I like her, knew she wasn't truly Aro's when they married. She always knew that one day he could be with his one. She took that chance, now you must take yours."

"It's still not that simple Demetri." She replied feeling exhausted now by all the emotions that were going through her.

"Yes because you're not making it simple. Hermione if you and Aro are mates then you need to be with each other, you belong together. What's not simple about that?"

She looked up at him, with large watery eyes and simply whispered.

"Severus."

As she spoke that one word everything then made sense to him.

"Come here." He said and wrapped his arms around her when she came to him willingly. "Hermione no-one can tell you how to think or how to feel, only you can decide that. But ask yourself this question, when you look to the future which of them do you see yourself with?"

She sighed against his chest and tried to imagine what he just said, but all she could think about instead was the vision she had. How could she possibly determine her future when it was so uncertain at the moment?

"Honestly I don't know." She replied, not able to tell him the whole truth.

He hugged her one more time before looking down at her.

"Only when you figure out that answer, will you truly know who you belong too. Until then you belong to Felix and I, and we demand a dance from our very own Goddess." He said twirling her around on the spot.

She giggled and wiped the stray tears away from her eyes. Sometimes she hated the fact that she was the only vampire in existence who cried.

"That sounds like a good idea." She smiled, feeling more relaxed and calmer than before.

"Then let's get you back to the ball." He took her arm and escorted her through the halls until they were once more in the dome room. She received some curious looks as they made their way onto the makeshift dancefloor, where Demetri twirled her around once more, before tipping her backwards. She laughed at his antics and together they enjoyed a fast moving dance.

At one point during the dance, she felt _his_ eyes on her before she saw him. When she finally looked at him, she felt the urgent need to go to him like before. But she refrained. Instead they shared a brief look that was so full of longing and want, which neither one could disguise. Demetri spun her around the dancefloor breaking the connection with Aro, but not before several observers had seen them. Some felt happiness and relief at seeing them both finally embrace their feelings for one another, while others felt anger and betrayal at their antics and swore that they both would pay for it. They would make sure of that, even if it was the last thing they ever did.


	19. Chapter 19

**This chapter comes with a slight warning. You will understand when you read it lol. Xx**

 **Chapter Nineteen**

The remainder of the ball went well for Hermione. She shared several dances with Demetri and Felix, who were never far away from her side. Felix could sense something had happened but Demetri promised to fill him in later, when they were alone. She danced with Carlisle and Jasper, and of course Marcus and even Caius. The only person who she didn't dance with that night, was regrettably Aro. But after the heated conversation they had just had, it was probably best that they stayed away from one another. Hermione feared that one more touch from him would have caused her to lose all sense of control, and that was something that couldn't happen. Not here in front of all the guard members and the guests. So she avoided him for the rest of the evening, but that didn't stop her from feeling his eyes burning into her the whole night.

They ended up playing a game of cat and mouse, forbidden lovers, trying to keep their feelings a secret. As they shared coy glances and timid smiles across the room. After their earlier conversation the connection between them sizzled and wanted nothing more than to draw them together as one. But somehow they both managed to refrain from giving into temptation.

She found that some of the vampires who were visiting were curious about her, and those who were brave enough actually came over to speak, which of course pleased her immensely. She was happy to answer any questions that they may have had, and she even demonstrated some of her magic to them.

Of course not all of them were friendly to her. Some looked at her with distrust, which she could understand, but instead of coming to discuss any matters with her, they simply glared at her from across the room, and spent the night avoiding her. Normally she would have been offended by such rude behaviour, but she didn't let anyone get to her. Not when she had so many friends and loved ones around and was making some new acquaintances.

There was a moment where Hermione felt incredibly awkward and that was when Sulpicia and Athenodora came over to speak to her. She knew that she couldn't avoid Aro's wife for long, but she hadn't counted on seeing the other woman so soon after their tryst together.

She had been standing talking with Marcus, when the other two women came over to congratulate her on such a successful evening.

"Honestly Hermione you done so well, and after talking with my beloved I know that several of the covens have agreed to join us. And that was all down to you." Sulpicia said with a bright smile as she focused her piercing red eyes on Hermione.

"Yes Hermione dear you should be very proud of yourself. I mean the way you handled this evening couldn't have been easy." Athenodora said, a warm friendly smile gracing her full red lips.

Hermione tried so hard to not shy away from eye contact with Sulpicia, as that would seem suspicious. But at the same time how could she look the other woman in the eyes knowing what she had just done, or almost done with her husband.

She tried to smile politely and not let the guilt that was suddenly gnawing at her show.

"Truthfully ladies that was nothing. I was more terrified the day I had to stand in front of the whole Volturi guard. This wasn't really anything compared to that." She admitted truthfully.

Both women giggled before Sulpicia said,

"Oh stop being so modest Hermione, you done well." She suddenly looked Hermione up and down before smiling at her, although the smile didn't seem real or genuine. "I love your costume but who are you supposed to be."

Hermione looked down at her white dress and smiled as she smoothed down a piece of the fabric.

"Athena the Goddess of Wisdom and War." She whispered, looking up to the other woman.

Sulpicia giggled and nodded her head.

"Yes that seems very fitting for you indeed, considering that we will soon be going to War ourselves." She frowned slightly, her eyes never leaving Hermione as she said, "I wonder why the Romanians decided to act now and not later, or even before. It seems to have coincided with you coming here to Volterra." She said with a small curve of her lips.

Hermione was rather taken aback by the abrupt way in which Sulpicia spoke. Although she appeared friendly towards Hermione, she couldn't hide the slight snide tone of her voice either.

"Sulpicia this War was a long time coming and I'm sure it has nothing to do with Hermione's arrival here. Besides-" Marcus said, irritated by the woman who dared attack his newly found daughter. "How would the Romanians know Hermione was here since we kept it a secret? With only the Volturi knowing. Are you trying to suggest that there is a traitor in our midst?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Sulpicia gasped before shaking her head.

"Of course I'm not dear brother. I was merely suggesting that it seemed to coincide that's all. I don't think anyone would dare betray the Volturi or my beloved husband, knowing what the consequences would be." She gave a small laugh but again it did not reach her eyes.

"Yes and you heard what Aro said, the Romanians appear to have been building up an army for a while now, in order to get those kind of numbers." Athenodora replied giving Hermione a warm encouraging smile.

Hermione couldn't help feel grateful for them both for standing up for her and for defending her honour. She wondered if this slight personal attack was because Sulpicia didn't like or trust her, or whether it was because she knew that there was something between her and Aro. Either way she didn't want to stay here too long and find out. This was neither the time nor the place for such a conversation.

"Thank you." She simply said, smiling at both Marcus and Athenodora. "But I must go and find the Cullen's, we have a lot to catch up on, so I may as well make use of them while they are here." She said, glad that she had a reason to walk away from the small group, especially from Sulpicia.

"Very well mio angelo. Go and enjoy yourself, you deserve it and I'm sure the Cullen's wouldn't thank us for keeping you all to ourselves." He gave her a small smile, before kissing her cheek fondly.

She gave him a large smile in return.

"Thanks. I will speak to you ladies later." She said looking to both Athenodora and Sulpicia. The former just smiled and squeezed Hermione's shoulder gently while the latter suddenly said,

"Oh Hermione just one small question before you leave." Sulpicia said with that same smile on her face.

"Of course ask away."

Sulpicia took a small step forward and in a hushed voice said,

"I have to ask; did you go away with my husband? Only he left for a meeting shortly after the first dance you see. And I happened to notice _you_ had left as well."

Hermione almost balked at her words, feeling like Sulpicia knew exactly what she and her husband had been doing. If she was suspicious however, she gave no outward sign of it and this made Hermione feel even more uneasy in the other woman's presence.

"Actually yes I did, along with Alice and Carlisle Cullen." Hermione said, admitting to half of the truth.

"Oh and what was this meeting about, if I may be so nosey?" Sulpicia asked, as she stared into Hermione's eyes. If she didn't know any better Hermione would have sworn that the other woman was trying to see into her mind.

"My family and I were telling Aro that we would fight alongside the Volturi." Carlisle's voice suddenly said from behind.

Relief flooded Hermione then as she turned to see all four of the Cullen's walking towards her. Alice wrapped her arm around her friend's waist and grinned knowingly.

"We also told Aro that we would speak to our friends and try to persuade them to join us as well. We figured the more the merrier, considering how big this battle will be." Jasper said, a small smirk curving his lips.

Sulpicia looked at all of the Cullen's and for the briefest of moments a flicker of annoyance passed through her eyes.

"Well that's reassuring to know, that you will be fight alongside us. We are all truly grateful for everyone joining and helping during this horrible time." She smiled, fulfilling her duty as Aro's wife.

"Oh we're not doing it for you, the Volturi." Alice chirped in squeezing Hermione's shoulder and giving her a big bright smile. "We're doing it for her because we love her and she's like family to us."

"That's right, if it wasn't for Hermione here we would have told the Volturi to look elsewhere for help." Jasper said smirking. Those were not the words he wanted to use however, but since he was in company, he thought it wouldn't be appropriate.

"Yup and I bet most of the people who have agreed to fight today are also doing it because of Hermione." Alice replied.

Marcus grinned at them, knowing well what most of the vampires thought of the Volturi, so it didn't bother him to hear such things being said. Also if he was honest he knew it was true as well.

"Hermione is a wonderful influence isn't she." He said nudging her shoulder playfully.

Hermione rolled her eyes and grinned at them all.

"Honestly you guys enough now."

"Yes aren't we all glad for Hermione here." Sulpicia replied tersely. "Anyway please excuse me but I must go and find my husband." With that she abruptly turned on her heel and left the small group watching her from behind. She had never had a problem with Hermione before, in fact she rather liked the girl until tonight that was.

Everything was going well, and she was glad for Hermione's assistance in recruiting people to join them in the War against the Romanians. She was indeed a very influential person who would do well in the Volturi. But things had quickly soured for Sulpicia when she went to speak to Hermione, and caught her husband's scent all over the other woman.

From what she could gather, they had still not reached the physical stage of intimacy yet, but they had shared something for his smell to be all over her. She had also caught the look between them earlier, a look that she had never, not once, seen her husband direct at her before.

The feeling of hurt, anger and resentment had coursed through her and she found that she was unable to hide the bitterness. What Hermione and Aro shared, was obviously more than any other dalliance he had ever had, and this left Sulpicia fearful about her own future and role here.

Everyone thought her to be the timid loyal wife, but the moment she had saw Hermione and Aro interact that very first time outside on the ground of Hermione's old school, she had felt something pass between them.

Then when Hermione came to live here, again she felt that same something except now it was much stronger. She always hoped that the love Hermione felt towards her dark wizard would be enough to stop her from pursuing Aro, but alas she had been mistaken. She had watched them when they thought they were being discreet, she had overheard the three leaders talking about Hermione, discussing openly that she was his mate. At those words Sulpicia had felt pain and hurt engulf her, her fears finally confirmed. She hoped that what they were saying was wrong, that it was Aro simply being infatuated by her powers, but it was Sulpicia who was wrong. She saw them sneak out of the Palazzo, she saw the look of longing in each of their gazes. And she knew that she had lost her husband. She tried to keep her dignity and pride in front of the other guard members, knowing that if she knew, then so too could they.

Sulpicia knew that even as Aro's wife, she could not stand in the way of mates. But that didn't mean she was going to simply stand down and let Hermione get her husband. No. She would make it hard for them to be together. If she was going to hurt, then so too would they.

For the rest of the evening Hermione got the chance to speak to Alice and Esme, apologising profusely for everything she had put them through, by not telling them about the War and by not explaining the vision she and Alice had shared. Now that they knew everything however, Hermione found that they were more forgiving than she deserved. Especially Alice who had felt things the hardest.

She was also grateful to them for what they had said to Sulpicia, but at the same time could not help feeling guilty at the fact that once again, they were putting their own lives at stake for her. She begged them not to fight with the Volturi, in fear of what could possibly happen, but they simply brushed her pleas off saying that they were more concerned for her welfare than what she should be for theirs.

"I don't think Rosalie will be very pleased." Hermione said, remembering the other woman's words back at Hogwarts. It would be worse now that instead of fighting against the Volturi, their enemy, they were now joining with them.

Carlisle put his hands on her shoulder and said,

"Don't worry about Rosalie, Hermione. I will deal with her. And if I fail I'm sure Emmett will succeed, I'm sure he will not hesitate in joining us."

Hermione sighed and gave him a sad smile.

"I'm sorry for all this Carlisle I really am. I mean, ever since you've met me I've brought nothing but trouble to your family."

Carlisle shook his head and sighed.

"I'm afraid trouble comes with the territory. Before I forget I just want to give you one small piece of advice. Be careful here in the Palazzo Hermione, I don't think everyone here wants to be your friend." He said letting his gaze wander around the room.

"Yeah I know. And don't worry I will be."

He sighed and guided her to an empty space, away from people prying.

"Also one last thing I promise. I'm not sure what's going on with you and Aro exactly, and believe me when I say it's none of my business. But be wary of his intentions. I've known him for a long time now and he is selfish and ruthless and will do anything he can to get what he wants, no matter who he has to trample on in the process. I just, I don't want to see you hurt by him Hermione. Alice was right with what she said earlier, you are like family to us and you know where we are should you need us. For anything." He quickly added.

Hermione hugged him fiercely, relieved to have so many good people on her side.

"Thanks Carlisle I really appreciate it. All of it." She whispered. "And you don't need to worry about Aro he's…." She trailed off with a small smile curving her lips. "Different with me."

Carlisle sighed seeing the distant look coming across her face, knowing well what that meant.

"If you say so Hermione then I believe you, but you know I meant every word of what I just said. You are one of us." He said looking straight into her eyes.

She smiled at him and nodded.

"I know." She replied, with no doubt or hesitation in her voice.

"Before we get back to the dancing I just have one more question for you. Does Albus know about the vision you had?" His gaze was serious as he spoke, he believed that her friends in the magical world should know. But it was not his place to say anything otherwise. It was Hermione's.

She sighed and shook her head in the negative.

"No they don't and I don't want them too either. I don't want to bring them into something that doesn't concern them." She said honestly.

Carlisle sighed in understanding before saying,

"They should know Hermione. They are your loved ones too."

She looked away from him then, unable to stand his piercing gaze any longer, before crossing her arms protectively over her chest,

"I know but I don't want to worry them, not when they finally have their own lives back." She admitted.

"Very well then Hermione, I won't push the subject anymore. Just be careful and if you need us we're here. And so are they, don't forget that."

She smiled and rolled her eyes playfully at him.

"How can I forget?"

With that the two vampires re-joined their small group and danced and talked the night away before it was time for all of the guests to depart. The Cullen's being one of the last to leave since they would be travelling far.

What neither Hermione nor Carlisle knew, was that their conversation together had been overheard by someone in the Volturi. And at Carlisle's words a plan had quickly formed in their mind, but the only question left unanswered was how to go about fulfilling it, without anyone finding out.

* * *

Aro had arranged for a full guard meeting the next again day after the ball. He had some things to discuss with them and now that matters were progressing with all the other covens, he found that they had to make their next move.

He had told Hermione the previous evening that he would keep her latest vision between them and the Cullen's and he was going to keep his word. He thought about telling Marcus and Caius, but felt that they may worry too much, especially Marcus because of the relationship he had formed with her. And now that he himself was gaining her trust, he found that he didn't want to break it. For it was just as important to him, as she was.

Before the meeting Aro and Marcus met in their shared quarters alone, while Caius was busy seeing off the rest of their guests. It didn't take long for their discussion to move from the ball to Hermione.

"She looked simply beautiful last night and I think her choice in costume was appropriate." Marcus said, looking straight at Aro to see what his reaction would be.

Aro simply smiled and nodded his head in agreement, knowing that his brother was toying with him after his little jealous outburst last night.

"Yes she was remarkable. But then again I expect nothing less from her." Aro admitted.

"Hmm." Marcus said with a slight chuckle. "I did warn her that I wouldn't hesitate to beat any male off her with my stick. Luckily for your sake it wasn't needed."

Aro glared at him, although there was no real malice in it.

"So you were going to explain your newly found relationship with her." Aro said, steering the conversation away from other males lusting after her. The thought of that made his anger rise.

"Ahh yes I wondered how long it would take for you to inquire about that." Marcus replied, chuckling again at how predictable Aro could be. "When I went to Hermione's quarters last night, we had an interesting conversation and we both seemed to come to the same conclusion. She sees me as a father figure and I see her as the daughter I never thought I would have." A small proud smile curved his lips as he spoke.

"And that's all." Aro asked curiously.

Marcus laughed this time, at how ridiculous Aro was being.

"Brother I understand that she is your mate, I would never do anything to undermine that or you. And believe me I feel honoured that she even looks upon me as a father. Honestly that girl is the best thing to happen to all of us. Which brings me to my next point." He said looking serious all of a sudden. "What happened between you and Hermione last night Aro?"

Aro rose an eyebrow at this question and asked,

"What do you mean?"

Marcus sighed, knowing that Aro would not make things easy.

"I mean when you left for your meeting, Hermione was the person you were seeing. Carlisle mentioned that he and Alice were there also but I saw them arrive back at the ball, long before you and Hermione did. So I presume you were alone and that something happened between you both."

Aro frowned then said,

"Yes we had a meeting but that doesn't mean anything happened brother."

Marcus sighed again and shook his head.

"You need to be more careful." He replied, the warning evident in his tone.

"Why?" Aro asked sitting back in his chair, frowning in confusion.

"Because last night Hermione and I were conversing when Sulpicia and Athenodora came over to talk. Sulpicia was asking and saying rather strange things, as though she knew something was going on." He paused a moment before saying, "And truthfully brother it was obvious, your scent was all over Hermione and I'm sure if I could smell it then so too could Sulpicia. So again I ask you to be careful."

Aro clasped his hands in front of him and lay them on his lap, before leaning forward and saying,

"What exactly did Sulpicia say?" The truth was he wasn't at all bothered if the guard found out Hermione was his mate; after all it was going to come out at some point. He would prefer to speak to Sulpicia in private of course, out of respect for their failed marriage. But if he found out that she was attacking his mate, then he would be most displeased. That same surge of protectiveness threatened to consume him then, as Marcus relayed to him the events of last night. And how he, Athenodora and the Cullen's came to support Hermione.

"So I asked Sulpicia if that was the case then did she suspect a traitor amongst us. To which she replied of course not." Marcus said finishing up his tale.

Aro sat stroking his bottom lip absentmindedly, sitting back against the chair, before turning his gaze back to his brother.

"Do you suspect her to be the traitor?" Aro asked.

Marcus frowned and thought over his answer a moment before saying,

"No I don't think so. I mean how would she communicate with the Romanians? It would be almost impossible for her to do so, without us knowing. No I think she was just trying to stir up trouble and perhaps make Hermione feel guilty for starting a War."

"Hmm interesting. I will get Caius to speak to Corin and see if she has noticed anything strange and to keep a close eye on things." Aro did not spend time in Corins presence because of the power she possessed. She had the power to make people feel content with certain situations, which is why she spent most of her time guarding Sulpicia and Athenodora in the tower. With her power they would become unhappy and bored and would probably feel like prisoners.

It was also because of Corin that Chelsea and other members remained loyal to the guard. But the problem that came with her power was that it was addictive. Those who had been exposed to it, and then spent a period away from her, would become physically uncomfortable and have a bad withdrawal reaction, which is why she spent her time with the two wives. Because they were the ones who had the most exposure to her powers.

Caius often sought out Corins contented power, normally when he was feeling bored and restless, which was why Aro would send him to see her instead of going himself.

"Yes that sounds like a good idea." Marcus sighed then said, "I wouldn't like to think there was a traitor in the guard but obviously someone who knew about Hermione, wrote that letter to the Romanians."

"I agree and the part when she saw the Volturi crest being broken could mean anything as well." Aro admitted.

Marcus crossed his leg over the other as he began to drum his fingers nervously on the chair. He didn't think Aro would take very kindly to his next words, but he felt like he had a duty to say them anyway.

"Aro I need to speak to you and I hope that you don't become offended by what I have to say." He said, flicking his gaze to his brother.

Aro tensed at his words before saying,

"Well brother, if you worry that I may be offended then perhaps you should not say them to me." He tried to smile but it was full of tension and looked more like a grimace on his face.

"Perhaps I shouldn't but I feel I must for Hermione's sake." He replied matter of fact. "As you know she has become important to me and I see her as my daughter, born from my own flesh. So please Aro, do not hurt her. She is a remarkable young woman, who has done remarkable things and I wouldn't like to see her upset by anything. Not even by you."

Aro wasn't sure whether to feel grateful that someone had Hermione's best interests at heart, or offended that his brother thought he would hurt her. He would never intentionally do anything to harm her in such a way.

"Thank you for your words but I can assure you they are unnecessary Marcus. Hermione is my mate and I plan on doing everything in my power to make sure no harm will come to her. I promise you of that."

Marcus sighed feeling slightly disheartened by his brother's words. When would Aro realise the truth.

"Aro you need to stop looking at her as just your mate. There is so much more to Hermione than that. Look closer and see the wonderful person that she is, get to know every part of her. See her for who she truly is."

Aro's eyes widened in surprise as he said,

"I do Marcus, but I would have thought-" He was going to say that he would have thought Marcus would understand the way he felt because of his love for Didyme and the connection they had shared, but managed to stop himself in time. Remembering that Marcus no longer knew who Didyme was, or remembered the relationship that they had. Bringing that up now could cause even more problems.

"Would have thought what?" Marcus asked wondering why Aro had suddenly stopped speaking in mid-sentence.

"I would have thought you would have understood how important finding my mate was." Aro quickly said.

"I do and I'm glad you found your mate in Hermione, but you need to see past all of that to the wonderful woman that she is. That is all I'm suggesting."

Aro recalled part of the conversation he and Hermione shared the previous night when she had asked if he loved her, or if he was just saying those things because of the connection they shared. What Marcus was saying now, was similar and once again it got Aro thinking about the question she had asked.

He did not have time to ponder such a question and the answer just now however, as they had a meeting to attend. So without any more thought to it, he rose out of his chair and looked down at Marcus who simply watched him from where he sat.

"Thank you for the advice I do appreciate it, but at the moment we have a meeting with the guard to go to." Without another word he left their shared quarters and headed to the dome room where the others would be waiting for them. He didn't know if Marcus was even following or not, as he rushed on ahead.

Stepping into the meeting, the whole room had been transformed back to normal, with no sign that a fancy ball had ever taken place just a few hours ago. As he walked down the middle of the aisle he noticed that everyone was there, including Hermione whose gaze he tried to avoid. Taking his position in the front of the room, with Caius already in his throne, he waited for Marcus to sit before quickly addressing the guard.

"Thank you all for joining me at such short notice but now that things have developed nicely it is time we put our next plan into action." He began to pace as he continued speaking. "Several covens have already gotten back to me about joining us in battle, while several others have said that they will speak to the rest of their covens first before giving us an answer. No-one has said no yet, which I am taking to be a good sign." He turned to face the guard members before saying, "Now as I said last night, I want a small group of you to leave Volterra and cross the Romanian borders in order to gather information against them. I want information on their movements, their whereabouts, numbers, and if possible information on the secret weapon that they may or may not possess. I want to know who the leaders are and any plans of attack they may have. Demetri and Felix will lead the small group with Alec and Jane. I want you to prepare and leave in one week's' time." He looked at the four vampires he just mentioned, who all nodded and said 'Yes Master Aro' in return. Jane and Alec looked incredibly pleased by being given such a task, as this was the sort of mission they enjoyed.

"Good. Now that is sorted I would also like to say that as of today, Hermione will be joining the guard as well. She has proven herself throughout her training and I am sure she will make a wonderful new addition." For the first time since arriving Aro let his gaze fall on her, and even in normal clothing he noticed that she was still the most beautiful being he had seen. Unaware that as his gaze fell on her, his eyes instantly softened at the sight of her sitting there amongst the sea of faces.

Every day he was finding it more and more difficult to hide his developing feeling for her, despite the fact he knew he had to. It was now becoming a case of now he didn't want too.

There was a small round of applause for her, with those who enjoyed her company becoming even more enthusiastic. Despite how much time had passed there were still those few who did not like Hermione being there amongst them. Although the majority of the guard had since warmed to her.

"Now since everything has been discussed that is all for the moment, unless anyone would like to contribute anything to what I have just said." Aro said letting his gaze drift across the guard members who all shook their heads in the negative. All except from one that was.

"Yes Hermione." He asked, with a thrill of saying her name tingling throughout his body.

"Sorry to impose but I would like to go with them to Romania." She said, with not a hint of fear on her face.

Aro felt every part of his body clench at her words as he realised how serious she was, and how dangerous it could be for her. There was no way he was sending her to Romania, and out of his sight.

"I'm sorry Hermione but you are a new guard member and inexperienced in these matters. No, I have made up my mind. The four I mentioned will be going, but thank you for offering."

Hermione frowned at him and said,

"I'm hardly inexperienced and if anything, I would be more beneficial to send than the others."

Despite his ever growing feelings for her, his own annoyance rose at the fact she would dare contradict him in front of the rest of the guard members.

"Oh and why is that." He asked, anger flashing in his vibrant red eyes.

Hermione stood and walked beside Demetri and Felix before turning her unwavering gaze back to an irate looking Aro.

"Because Master Aro, I have magical powers that could come in useful." She replied challenging him to contradict her.

"Maybe so, but the four I have chosen have exceptional powers of their own. What makes you think yours are any better?" He asked, causing those who disliked Hermione to snigger.

"Well for a start I could cut days off our traveling time and we could get the job done quicker. The four vampires you have picked can't travel during the day in case of exposure. With me there I can-" She waved her hand and in a blink of an eye Demetri, Felix and herself had all disappeared. "Turn us invisible meaning we won't be seen during the day and even in Romania." Just as quickly as they had vanished, they appeared again, as if nothing had happened. "Also, I have a friend who lives in Romania. I'm sure that if I wrote to him he would allow us to build up a base camp there. I could also ask him to keep an eye out on things and report anything unusual to me."

"She does make a fair point brother." Caius chirped in, once again liking Hermione's tenacity. "If Hermione went in place of say Jane and Alec, then that would mean that the Palazzo would still be protected and Hermione and the other two could be done sooner. Meaning we could have more time to plan our battle strategies."

Aro turned to glare at Caius, as did Jane and Alec who did not take kindly to being so easily dismissed. Hermione however, tried not to smirk, glad that Caius agreed with her way of thinking.

"As I said before _brother_." Aro hissed out unable to hide his irritation. "I have made my decision."

"I agree with Caius, Aro. Let Hermione go with Demetri and Felix; it makes more sense that way. You can call this excursion an initiation into the guard." Marcus cut in.

Aro glared at both of his brothers, feeling as though they had just betrayed him in some way, before sighing in defeat.

"Very well then." He turned his glare to Hermione and said, "Since you offered you may go with Demetri and Felix. But I warn you Hermione it won't be fun and it won't be easy. So be it on your own head." With that he dismissed them before marching off back to his own quarters, seething by what had just happened.

Hermione felt excited as she looked at Demetri and Felix, before they began whispering about their little adventure.

Jane and Alec left the dome room angry and annoyed at being replaced by Hermione, who was low ranking compared to them. While Caius and Marcus left discussing the fact that Aro would not be pleased by the fact that they had gone against his wishes. This time they felt it was for the best. Hermione was the better choice out of them all.

After spending some time talking things over with her friends Hermione walked back to her quarters and the moment she was in, she instantly put up the wards and placed a silencing charm on the room. The last thing she wanted or needed was an angry Aro knocking on the door.

Walking towards Dante she stroked his soft black feathers lovingly and whispered,

"Well my friend I hope you are ready for a long journey."

Dante cawed at her in return, while he nuzzled his beak gently against her hand. Hermione was so pre-occupied with the beautiful black raven, that she did not see the figure walk up behind her, until she was grabbed and pushed up hard against the wall. Her eyes widened in surprise as she gazed up into the angry face of Aro.

"Don't you _ever_ undermine my authority again in front of my coven Hermione? Next time you do; I will not tolerate such an act of insolence." He clutched at her shoulders as her body was pushed back into the wall. His eyes had gone from vibrant red to almost black in an instant. "After everything last night I thought you would have been more careful." He hissed out. "You may not take your safety seriously but I do."

When Aro had first pinned her up against the wall and she had seen how angry he was, she had momentarily felt fear. But now as he clutched on to her, she realised that he was angrier about her safety than what she actually did. At that she felt the passion course through her body, realising that this was how she wanted him, angry and passionate. She wanted him to pin her against the wall and ravish her there and then.

"Aro." She said, almost like a plea.

As if sensing her sudden need for him, he crashed his mouth hungrily down on hers and consumed her completely. Somehow she managed to free her hands and slowly dragged her fingers up his back and into his hair, feeling his long silky raven tresses through her fingers. She moaned in satisfaction as he moved his hands from her shoulders down to her waist, as he pushed his body into hers, letting her feel how much he wanted her in return.

"Why?" He asked moving his lips from hers, kissing down her neck to her collarbone. And as he did so he suddenly ripped open her blouse revealing her pale soft skin, as he moved his lips from her collarbone to the tops of her covered breasts. The urge to mark her and make her his permanently was strong, and the way he was now he would not be able to control his urge much longer. "Why did you do that?" He moved his lips to kiss down her flat stomach, tasting the delicious skin as he licked and sucked her navel, causing her to whimper out in need. Her hands in his hair tightened as she pushed herself further into his mouth, needing more than just his lips on her skin.

Every part of her body that his lips touched, felt like she was burning and the feeling was exquisite. Leaving her wanting more.

"Aro." She whimpered again as he made his way back up to her lips, kissing the shell of her ear first, before whispering,

"Answer me."

She licked her lips before saying,

"Because it makes sense."

Her words made the anger in him soar, and this time he shredded her white lacy bra, revealing her perfectly sculpted breasts. He took a moment to take in the sight before him and seeing her so open and bare to him like that, caused a possessive feral growl to escape his mouth.

"Mine." He growled out before lunging at her like a starving man, taking one of her perfect pale pink nipples into his mouth and sucking on it greedily.

She hissed in pleasure at the contact wanting more, needing to feel his skin against hers. Nothing except the need to be taken by him made sense to her at that moment. But as she made a move to take off his suit jacket, she was stopped suddenly as Aro grabbed her wrists, pinning them up above her head.

He looked deep into her eyes and kissed her passionately as the material of his jacket caused a delicious friction against her skin. She moaned wanting nothing more than his lips and hands on her, but he didn't give in. Instead he pulled away and said,

"No Hermione, not like this."

She protested at the sudden loss of his body against hers, but he backed further away, realising he was letting things escalate almost to the point of losing control.

"I want you but not like this. Not yet."

Realising that he was being serious Hermione's passion was suddenly diminished, as she covered her breasts from his view, suddenly feeling shy and embarrassed at acting like such a wanton fool.

"Then I suggest you leave now." She replied unable to look him in the eyes as her voice quivered.

"Hermione I-" He began but was suddenly cut off by Hermione's gentle,

"Go."

She waved her hand to cancel the wards and tried not to watch as he unlocked the door to his adjoining room, before vanishing and closing it firmly behind him.

As soon as he was out of sight, she instantly warded the room and cast a silencing charm, before falling to her knees unable to keep herself up. As her body quivered and shook with unspent passion.

She couldn't keep doing this to herself, she couldn't keep letting him toy with her emotions like this. It was confusing and she felt as though she was going mad. She would be leaving to go to Romania in a week's' time and she found herself glad of this fact. Time and distance apart might do them both some good. It might help to clear her head, and decide what she really wanted. Sitting on the floor, her torn shirt held tightly together in her hands, Hermione couldn't wait for a week to pass. She needed away from here but more importantly she needed away from him.

With that she stood up on shaky legs and headed to the bathroom for a long shower, in the hopes that it would clear her mind. And rid herself of any more thoughts of Aro. She needed to pull herself together and prepare herself for the next adventure that she faced.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

After her latest confrontation with Aro, Hermione cleared her mind of all thoughts of him and set to work preparing to leave for Romania with Demetri and Felix. She needed to be focused and ready, as this was her first task as a member of the guard. Aro hadn't wanted her to go in the first place, so Hermione felt she had something to prove, not just to him and all the other guard members, but to herself as well.

She had experience with these kind of tasks, after all she did go searching for Horcruxes. She also planned her own missions back then, researched everything she needed to know, then set off to help Harry end Voldemort once and for all.

But what she was about to do now was different, as this time she wouldn't be doing it alone. She would be working alongside Demetri and Felix and so together the three of them had to plan their mission beforehand, they were a team now.

Hermione started to prepare straight after she had showered and rid her mind of all thoughts of Aro. Sitting down at her desk to write a letter to Charlie Weasley. He was staying in Romania and so Hermione hoped that he would allow the trio of vampires to stay with him and set up a base camp at the dragon sanctuary where he lived and worked. This would make things a lot easier for them and would hopefully draw less attention to their presence in enemy territory.

Charlie lived in a secluded area in Southern central Romania, away from civilisation, for their safety and also for much needed privacy. After all Charlie did work and care for dragons, and so Hermione knew that the area he lived in would be heavily warded against intruders, as it wouldn't do well for muggles to see living breathing dragons in the area. This was also appealing for Hermione because if Charlie agreed to let them use this site as a base camp, then there would be no way that the Romanian vampires could find them there. They would be protected and safe, allowing them the freedom to roam in and out while they gathered information on the other coven. So she really hoped that he agreed but would understand if he didn't, since he had a duty towards the dragons in his care.

She hadn't yet told Demetri and Felix what Charlie's occupation was either, saving that until she had heard back from him. To be honest she wasn't sure how they would react to the news, or even if they knew that dragons existed in the first place.

Luckily for Hermione however, it didn't take long for Charlie to reply, as Dante brought a letter straight back to her in return. As she read it, she couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped her lips, noting the hint of excitement in his words.

He agreed to let them set up a base camp where he lived, but warned her that there were currently three grown dragons residing in the sanctuary as well, including Hagrid's friend Norbert, a Norwegian Ridgeback who eventually turned out to be Norberta since she was actually a female.

Charlie had an interest in all unusual magical creatures, he enjoyed nothing more than studying them, and found them all fascinating. During his time at Hogwarts he excelled at the subject of Care of Magical Creatures and bonded with Hagrid, who also had a love for unusual and rare animals, which is why he ended up with a dragon's egg in the first place.

But it was Charlie's love of dragons that pushed him into moving to Romania, much to his mums worry and anguish. Here he ended up becoming a master in caring for rare and exotic animals, but mostly he cared for dragons. He seemed to have a rapport with them and being so close, he was able to study from real life and experience rather than from books, making a few discoveries of his own in the process.

In the letter he sent, he gave Hermione directions and told her the area where the sanctuary could be located. Once she had remembered the details, she was to burn that part of the letter, not wanting to take any chances on someone finding it. Despite how heavily warded and safe it may be.

He also hinted in his letter that he would like to get to know Hermione a little bit better, since he really didn't get to see much of her while she was at Hogwarts after her change. It was this part that really made Hermione chuckle, because reading between the lines what he was really saying was he would very much like to study her.

She knew that he had done the same thing with Remus, after all just like with dragons it wasn't every day that you got to spend time with a real live werewolf. So he had asked Remus lots of questions and studied him and lycanthropy. Any opportunities to study rare animals he took it with relish, which was why he wasn't going to miss the chance to study not one but three vampires.

The only thing he did wonder in the letter was if he would be safe in their company. He knew that he didn't have much to fear with Hermione, after all she knew him and from what he had heard from his family she was controlled and wasn't like typical vampires. But the other two who would be joining her he didn't know and so posed more of a threat to him.

She sent him back a quick reply, saying that he would be fine and that she trusted the other two vampires with her life. They also had control to some extent and wouldn't harm him or anyone else there.

So once Hermione had heard back from Charlie, the three of them met in the dome room to discuss their plans and how they were going to go about things, as they only had a few days to go until they left. Of course they were not alone as other guard members roamed about the room, trying to pretend that they weren't listening in, as they were curious as to what Hermione was going to plan. She herself, was glad that one vampire was missing, for she knew he would only cause a distraction for her when she had to keep her focus.

"So what do you have for us my little witchling?" Demetri asked giving her a slight squeeze of her shoulders.

She smiled up at him before sitting down at the large table.

"Well I wrote to my friend Charlie and he said that we could set up a base camp where he lives. I know for a fact that it his heavily guarded with magic so enemies would never find us there. It's in the middle of Romania so we can come and go as we please."

Felix who had been listening to her speak nodded his head in understanding before saying,

"Couldn't you just do that disappearing thing that you do?"

"Apparating." Demetri said helpfully.

Felix sniggered and shook his head at his mate before turning his gaze back to Hermione.

"Yeah apparating. Couldn't you just apparate us to your friend's house, then that could cut time even more."

She shook her head in the negative and sighed.

"I wish I could as that would make things much easier but apparating isn't as simple as that. It's not just a case of knowing where to go, I've got to have seen the place first." Seeing the confused looks on their faces Hermione quickly added. "The way apparating works is, I see the image in my mind, focus on that and then disappear. Reappearing in that place. I need a visual first though. The plus side is I can always apparate us back to Volterra. That would also cut time from our journey."

"Right." Felix said in understanding. "Well I suppose we can cross that method off our list. Although it helps that you can do that coming back."

Hermione couldn't help but chuckle at his words before saying,

"You pair made a list."

He nodded, looking serious then said,

"Of course how else do you expect us to plan a mission like this?"

"Well I thought you just you know, ran into situations without thinking first." She admitted honestly.

Felix and Demetri sniggered again before shaking their heads at her.

"Oh little witchling you have so much to learn." Felix said. "There is more to things than just running head first into a situation. You need to stop, think and plan."

Hermione felt excitement build up in her at his words. It was so refreshing to hear him say such things. After being at Hogwarts with Ron and Harry, she half expected Felix and Demetri to be like them. Every year she tried to talk sense into the boys before they ran off doing something foolish, and it never worked. They never listened to her reasoning. So it was nice working with people who actually shared her views.

"Exactly." She said beaming at them both. "Honestly where were you when I was at Hogwarts. I tried to teach my friends that exact same thing and it always fell on deaf ears. They never listened and we got into more trouble than you could possibly imagine."

Felix laughed at her and said,

"Yes I seem to recall some of the stories of your youth."

She laughed again just as she felt _his_ presence. Her whole body seemed to be on fire as soon as she felt him walk into the room. Her body tensed as she looked around and saw him engaged in conversation with Caius. He seemed to be oblivious to her presence, and if he wasn't then he gave no outward sign of even noticing her.

Demetri and Felix did however see the change in her body language and looking at each other, they grinned knowingly.

Demetri nudged her, claiming her attention once more

"My little witchling as much as it pleases me to see you look so smitten, I think we really ought to concentrate on this." He said, indicating the large map that he had just pulled out.

If Hermione could have, she would have blushed profusely at being so distracted by a man. Because she couldn't blush, she simply smiled sheepishly and nudged her friends shoulder.

"Sorry." She whispered. She shook her head then looked down at the map, noticing it was of Europe. "What's this for?" She asked looking at it before turning her attention to her friends.

"Well since you can't apparate us to your friends like we had hoped, we now need to actually plan our journey. Which is where the map comes in handy." Felix said pulling out a black marker pen. He circled Volterra, as that's where they would be starting from, then looked at Hermione expectantly. "Where is your friend's home about?" He asked.

Hermione turned her gaze to the map and looked at all the places in Romania, aware of the people around them. She found where she was looking for and pointed her finger at it.

She looked at her friends and with her pointer finger pressed against her lips, whispered shh, before indicating the others in the room with a tilt of her head.

Demetri and Felix got the hint at once, so instead of circling Arefu, the place she had pointed to, he drew a line close by.

"Alright now we have our starting point which is Volterra and we have our end point which is your friend's home. All we need to do now is figure out the best path to get from A to B, without being found out." Felix said.

Even as he spoke Hermione could tell that Felix was well practiced at organising this kind of thing. He was confident and took charge easily, reminding her off why he was so high up in the ranks of the Volturi guard.

Looking at the map she squinted her eyes and said,

"Well it doesn't matter what time of day we go out at, as I can cast a disillusionment charm on us, so it means we don't need to stick to shaded areas." She said hoping this would make things easier for them.

"She's right, the only time we need to stop is to feed to preserve our energy." Felix said agreeing with her. "The other thing we need to then plan is how to stay in contact once we are invisible."

"That's simple enough, we could get walkie talkies. That means we can always communicate with each other while disillusioned."

Felix nodded his head in agreement.

"Sounds good little witchling, I can get Heidi or whoever she's got working for her now, to order some good quality ones for us. They should be here ASAP."

Hermione smiled, enjoying having others to work with. To say she was excited about this mission was an understatement.

"Right, looking at the map I suggest we leave Volterra and head up to Florence, before making our way to Bologna then Treviso, and Gorizia which borders Slovenia." Demetri said. He was the best tracker in the Volturi guard and possibly throughout the vampire world, so he knew the best paths to take. Since they no longer had to worry about being exposed in the daylight, thanks to Hermione's magic, they could now take a more direct route than before.

"I agree, so you think its best going from Italy, to Slovenia, to Hungary then to Romania." Felix asked Demetri.

"It would take longer going through Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia." Demetri replied.

"Good so looking at Slovenia now, if we go from Gorizia then to Kranj and Ptuj. That means we can break in between." He circled the places as he went on, drawing lines between them. "Then heading into Hungary we can go from Ptuj to Kaposvar then to Mako. So that just leaves Romania."

Hermione watched in amazement as the two vampires planned and talked between themselves. It wasn't like they were ignoring her it was just that they were more knowledgeable about this kind of thing than what she was. Truthfully she had never travelled much in Europe so had no knowledge about the countries themselves, or which country bordered which. This was all knew to her, so she was quite happy and content in letting the boys take over for now.

"Please don't tell me the Romanians coven is in Transylvania." Hermione said with a small chuckle, remembering all the books and films she had seen as a young muggle.

Both Felix and Demetri laughed shaking their heads at her.

"No but it's not far away from there." Felix said showing her the map. "Transylvania is here and the Romanians are based in Timisoara, which as you can see isn't too far away from Mako either."

"Lucky we have you to hide us my little witchling." Demetri said with a small nudge to her arm.

"Yeah lucky." She replied back with a small smile on her face. She maybe couldn't help plan the journey for them but at least she could help with other things.

"So with that in mind I think after Mako we should move to Arad then Deva, which as you can see isn't that far from your friend's home."

Hermione sat up straight and looked at them both before saying,

"Ahh about that. There's something I need to tell you first."

Just as the words escaped her mouth, her whole body began to tingle as Aro and Caius came walking over to them. His eyes were downcast to the map before them, but that didn't mean he hadn't noticed the slight tension and rigidity in Hermione's shoulders and back. The thought that he had such a profound effect on her, pleased him immensely however.

A memory of the day after the ball flashed in his mind, as he remembered Hermione's breasts bared to him. He wanted her now just as much as he wanted her then, but pushed those feelings to the side, as he stood between her and Felix while he studied the map.

"Very good so the journey is now planned. Did you hear from your friend Hermione?" He asked out of curiosity.

She turned to look at him, unafraid to meet his gaze, however he did not look back at her.

"Yes I did and he agreed to let us stay with him." She replied before Demetri said,

"But she was just going to tell us something about her friend." He had a grin on his face when Hermione turned her attention back to him. She squinted her eyes at him wondering what he was playing at.

"Oh well don't let our presence stop you." Aro said.

She fidgeted in her seat a little as Aro placed his arm on the table next to her, accidentally brushing against hers, causing an electric shock to ripple through her. Hermione cleared her throat then said,

"As I was saying, I need to warn you about Charlie's home." She smiled knowingly at her friends before saying, "You see Charlie looks after rare and exotic animals and works in a sanctuary for them. He told me to warn you that he currently has three grown animals in the sanctuary at the moment."

Felix and Demetri both quirked an eyebrow at her, before Demetri hesitantly asked,

"And what my little witchling, are these rare and exotic animals."

Hermione chuckled, unable to hide her excitement at seeing the looks on their faces when she told them, then said,

"He looks after dragons."

Both her friends went bug eyed when she spoke causing her to chuckle.

"What you mean actual real dragons?" Felix asked unable to hide his shock.

Hermione giggled again and nodded her head.

"Yup."

"Do they even exist?" Demetri asked. Hermione was sure that if he wasn't already pale now, he would have been a deathly colour at hearing that.

Hermione couldn't stop the laughter that escaped as she glanced at her friend.

"Really, you have to ask. Well vampires exist, magical folk exist, vampire witches now exist, and you ask if dragons exist." She laughed again. "Honestly Demetri they do and lucky for you, you're going to get to see one maybe all three, up close and personal."

Demetri sighed and slumped back against his chair, looking somewhat dazed and a little apprehensive.

"Perhaps it wouldn't be too bad not staying with your friend after all." He said, not sure if he really wanted to come face to face with a dragon. "Do they actually breathe fire?" He asked looking at all of their faces.

Felix and Hermione started laughing again, while Caius looked on in amusement. Aro on the other hand didn't appear very happy about the news either. Truthfully despite how strong he knew Hermione, Demetri and Felix were, the thought of her coming close to a fire breathing dragon made him feel anxious. Especially after the vision she had when she died surrounded in a wall of flames.

"Of course some of them do. I know that Norberta is fire breathing." She said remembering when the baby dragon sneezed after she had hatched, setting fire to Hagrid's beard. A small smile appeared on her lips as she fondly thought back to the memory.

"Who or what is Norberta?" Demetri said with wide eyes.

Felix couldn't help but laugh at his partners' antics. Even as a powerful vampire, Demetri still showed signs of weakness at times. It was endearing to him.

"Norberta belonged to my friend back in Hogwarts, I actually saw her hatch from her egg. It was amazing. Hagrid thought she was a male at first but it was only after she was sent away that we found out he was actually a she." She laughed again at the memory.

"Why did the dragon get sent away?" Caius asked curiously.

Hermione sighed then said,

"It wouldn't do well to bring up such a dangerous animal so close to a school. Plus the Ministry made raising dragons illegal. So my friends Harry and Ron wrote to Charlie and he got some friends to pick up Norberta. He's been looking after her ever since." She smiled wistfully.

Aro who had been listening intently suddenly said,

"Is it safe for the three of you to be around fire?" He knew that fire was dangerous for them. Despite their many strengths this was their one weakness and knew that it could be fateful. Even to those who were strong and powerful. Even to Hermione, he thought as he let his gaze wander to her briefly.

Hermione had been sitting gazing at him, watching as different emotions filtered across his face as he spoke. She knew of course what he was thinking, and so as he glanced her way, she couldn't help but soften towards him.

She smiled timidly, aware of her settings and the fact that they weren't alone.

"Charlie will take good care of us believe me, he's an expert. As long as we don't put ourselves in danger we should be alright."

"I for one won't be going anywhere near a fire breathing dragon." Demetri said trying to lighten the atmosphere somewhat. He could feel the tension between Aro and Hermione, and knew that they didn't want everyone knowing what was going on between them.

Hermione laughed and shook her head.

"I can't wait to see a dragon." Felix admitted, his curiosity piqued somewhat. "Master Caius would you mind if I went over these plans with you." He suddenly said picking up the map in front of him.

"Of course let's go back to my quarters and go over things there." It was not uncommon for Felix and Caius to go over such things, after all Caius was the General of the guard, with Felix as his second in command. As his General he would need to approve of such things beforehand. Maybe even have some input into them himself.

So with that they left, leaving Hermione, Demetri and Aro standing.

"Well." Aro said clapping his hands together, that boyish grin across his face. "Since you have finished perhaps Demetri you could come with me. I must talk to you for a moment." He smiled letting his gaze fall on Hermione, who for some reason looked rather disappointed.

"Of course Master Aro as you wish." Demetri said with a small respectful bow of his head. Turning his gaze to Hermione he looked deep into her eyes, and gently touched her elbow. "I shall meet you back in your quarters my little witchling." Then with that he turned on his heel and followed Aro out of the room.

Hermione looked around to see who else was still here, and seeing no-one that she cared to speak to, left the dome room herself and headed back towards her quarters. Before she could even descend the stairs, she was suddenly stopped in her tracks. Turning she saw Jane looking at her, her face blank and void of any emotion.

"You shouldn't be going to Romania, that was my task and it is too dangerous for you." Her words bit Hermione, but they did not sting, as they held no sign of the usual malice in them.

"Oh and why is it too dangerous for me and not you?" Hermione said squaring her shoulders at the other woman.

Jane smiled sweetly, almost too sweetly for Hermione's taste before saying,

"Because you haven't been a vampire or a member of the guard long. You do not know our ways. We wouldn't want something awful happening to you now would we?" She simply said before walking away back to the dome room where she came from.

Hermione stood at the top of the stairs leaning against the wall as she took in the other woman's words. Had she just been threatened? Or had she just been given a friendly warning?

She snorted at her thoughts as she realised that there was nothing friendly about Jane. Ever since Hermione arrived at Volterra, and even before that, the two of them were openly hostile towards one another. Jane wouldn't just suddenly change now and be nice to her. There was no way.

Thinking back to the vision she had it was probable that Jane could be the possible traitor amongst them. After all she hated Hermione, she was jealous and on the odd occasion showed anger towards the leaders especially towards Aro. As her thoughts were consumed by Jane, Hermione knew that she would have to keep a closer eye on the other woman. At this point in time they had no idea who the traitor was, and as far as motives went Jane had the biggest one.

There was also Sulpicia but she had showed no signs of aggression towards Hermione until the night of the ball. Not until after Hermione's tryst with her husband. This lead Hermione to believe that Sulpicia was probably that way because she knew somehow. That thought did not sit well with her. She never wanted to be the other woman, and despite her traitorous feelings and behaviour that's exactly who she was becoming.

With that in mind Hermione went into the safety of her quarters and slumped down on the couch deep in thought, whilst she waited for Demetri to come.

Meanwhile Demetri followed his Master into an empty room and watched with some trepidation as Aro locked the door behind them and turned a heated look on him.

"Do not look so frightened my friend, I just wanted to speak in private with you for a moment." He smiled sitting down on a chair, before indicating for Demetri to sit down on the one across from him.

Hesitantly Demetri done as he was asked and sat down, all the time keeping his guard up.

"Now I see that you and Hermione are close and I am glad that she has someone who she can go to. But I wanted to know how you felt she was doing here. Is she fitting in well with the others so to speak?"

Demetri felt himself relax knowing all about the vision she had of the possible traitor. This was Aro's way of finding out if he thought anyone would want to harm her in any way.

"Hermione and I are close, she is a good friend and almost like a sister to both me a Felix." Demetri said unable to hide his affection for her. "I think she fits in well here and she has proven her worth several times during her stay. She is strong, fearless and commanding, and is someone who I think would make a wonderful leader." At this statement Aro's eyebrow quirked up in curiosity, but Demetri kept going. "Some of the other guard members are still a little wary of her. Jane and Alec openly dislike her, Santiago likes her, while Corin and Renata still don't trust her as yet. But she is getting there. The rest of the guard members have embraced her as one of us. And I know she gets on well with you and your brothers. Especially Master Marcus." He said honestly.

Aro clasped his hands together, before saying,

"You seem to know a lot Demetri." It was not so much a question but a statement.

"Yes, Hermione speaks to Felix and myself. We are her confidants and her friends."

Aro sat back against the chair and gazed at Demetri wondering just how much he knew. So with that thought in his mind he asked,

"Do you speak about everything?"

Demetri knew where this conversation was heading and knew that he had to be careful. If he lied, then it wouldn't be hard for Aro to learn the truth. If he told Aro the truth, then he didn't want to think that he was breaking Hermione's trust. So he needed to tread carefully with what he said.

"Yes." He simply said looking straight into his Master's eyes.

Feeling his curiosity piqued further Aro said,

"Tell me some of the things that you speak about exactly."

Demetri didn't want to go against his Master, but at the same time couldn't break the trust of his friend. Moving his gaze to look at his hands he said,

"I cannot divulge such information Master Aro."

Aro felt a slight annoyance at the way Demetri was trying to avoid his question, understanding that the vampire must know more than he first believed. But at the same time felt grateful that Hermione had someone who had only her best interests at hearts.

But he was Aro after all, he was selfish, manipulative and in the end always got what he wanted by using any possible means necessary. This was one of those times he would get what he wanted.

"I am pleased that Hermione has such a trusting confidant as yourself Demetri, you do her well." He said, a small playful smile crossing his lips, as he rose elegantly from his chair and walked to the other side of the room. His back turned towards the younger vampire. "Since you and Hermione appear to talk about everything, I wonder if she knows who your mate is." He turned around to face the young man, whose eyes had grown wide with surprise and fear. Unable to look at his Master, he set his eyes downcast and looked at the ground. "As I'm aware none of the other guard members know, but since you seem so close to Hermione it wouldn't surprise me if she knew. Am I correct?" He asked gazing at Demetri.

Despite what people thought about Aro, it did not please him to use such tactics on those who he liked and respected. And he did have a lot of respect for this particular vampire. Especially after how close he was with his mate. He knew the bond they shared was of a sibling nature so did not fear a relationship between them. And he already knew that Demetri's interests lay elsewhere, something that they kept hidden because they feared the relationship would be frowned upon.

"H-how did you know?" Demetri stammered, feeling the cold rush of fear at having his secret outed by the leader of the Volturi of all people.

Aro laughed, that boyish knowing tinkle that never meant anything good.

"Oh sometimes I think people forget who I am at times." He leaned his hands against the table, his eyes and smile never wavering as he backed Demetri further into the corner with his words. "The moment you felt the mating pull towards Felix, Marcus and I knew. He reads people's bonds remember and he could see yours quite clearly. That and when it grew after you both marked each other as mates." Aro stood up straighter before clasping his hands in front of him. "Now do not fear my friend, neither me nor Marcus have anything against your relationship. In fact, we are pleased for you of course. However, Caius may not be as tolerant, and perhaps some of the guard members as well. But I promise to keep your secret if you give me what I want."

Demetri finally looked up to meet his Master's gaze, a serious look upon his face as he knew he could not fight against Aro anymore.

"What would you like to know Master Aro?" He asked, trying to hide the dislike from his voice.

Aro smiled again before taking his seat.

"What do you know about Hermione and me?" He leaned back against the chair and steepled his fingers together, as he waited for the younger vampire to speak.

Demetri sighed and told Aro everything that he and Hermione had spoken about, knowing that he was betraying the one person, other than his mate that he knew he could trust the most. What option did he have though? It was either tell Aro what he wanted to know, or ruin the life he had with his mate. Despite how much he loved Hermione as a sister, his love for his mate was so much more. He had no choice but to tell Aro everything.

Aro listened intently to what the younger vampire was saying, feeling the excitement grow inside. Hearing how Hermione felt about him, even though it didn't come straight from her mouth, filled him with such hope, despite the fact she still seemed a little unsure. He had gotten her to this point already, so perhaps it wouldn't take her long to reach the point where he could finally claim her for his own. The last words Demetri spoke, really interested him.

"She admitted to you that I was her mate." He leaned back on the chair and felt his frozen heart sore with those words.

"Yes." Demetri quietly admitted, feeling even guiltier at betraying Hermione again.

Aro was quiet, as he was lost in thoughts, a plan forming in his mind. Turning his gaze to Demetri, he looked happy and peaceful with no sign of the normal smugness he wore.

"Thank you my friend. I know that wasn't easy for you, betraying Hermione like that. I promise that what was discussed today will go no further than this room. Do not tell Hermione or Felix and I will not tell my brothers or the guard."

Demetri gave a small nod of his head and said,

"Yes Master."

"Good you may go back to her now, I know she will be waiting for you."

"Thank you." Demetri stood up and went to reach for the door when Aro grabbed his arm. Turning, he faced his Master, with a curious look on his face.

"Before you go, there is something I must beg of you." Aro said, and for the first time since he joined the Volturi, Demetri could actually see an anxious fear burning in his Master's eyes. "When the three of you leave for Romania, take care of her, protect her with everything you have. Please keep her safe….for me."

Demetri could see the pleading vulnerability in his Master's eyes, and knew that there was more to Aro's feelings for Hermione than what he was ready to admit. Knowing this, dampened the guilt he felt at betraying Hermione like that.

Feeling bold, Demetri placed his hand on Aro's shoulder and looked deep into his eyes, with fierce determination shining in there red depths.

"With my life." Was all that he had to say. In that moment, a mutual understanding passed between them both, as Demetri took his leave heading straight to Hermione's quarters.

What Aro and Hermione shared was special in itself, but after seeing his normally stoic fearless Master looking so vulnerable and so impassioned about another person, that was a rarity indeed. He always knew that the person who made Aro feel again would be special. And in his eyes no-one was more special than Hermione. He just hoped that one day Aro would eventually come to deserve her.

He gave a sigh of relief at the fact that for now his relationship with Felix was safe, and what was more important was that they seemed to have the blessing of Aro and Marcus as well as Hermione. Knowing that eased some of the pressure he felt somewhat, helping him to concentrate on the journey ahead. He had promised Aro that he would protect Hermione with his life, and he would fulfil that promise if it came to it. He just hoped that it didn't.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N Hi everyone I've been trying to avoid putting up author's notes but there's a couple of things I want to say. Firstly, I've had a couple of emails and just to reassure you all TVWOH is complete, it was up once before as a single story and I accidentally deleted it. So I've been putting it up again as three separate parts because of the sheer size. I've been editing it as I go along and that comes to my second point. My updates are a bit erratic lol and I apologise for that. It's because I'm trying to get it back up as quickly as I can, and trying to find time between work and my girls is hard lol. So please bear with me. I hope for all the new readers that you are enjoying my story, thank you for taking time out to read it. And also a big thank you to the lovely followers who read it the first time and still came back for a second. It really does mean a lot to me. Anyway…. hopefully no more author's notes lol. But if you have any questions feel free to send me a private message. Xx**

 **Chapter Twenty-One**

The day before the trio of vampires left for Romania was interesting to say the least. Their journey was now planned with the approval of Caius. They knew what their mission was and that the aim of it was to gather all the information that they could on the enemy. And to try and find out what the 'secret weapon' was, if there was one of course. Also if they happened to come across any vampires who were unwilling to fight alongside the Romanians, they were to see if they could be persuaded to fight alongside the Volturi instead. It was a longshot they knew, but at least they would try.

The most interesting part of the day however, was when Heidi came up to the trio with their new walkie talkies. To make sure that things would go to plan, as Hermione hoped. She disillusioned the three of them and practiced using the walkie talkies, to see if they could handle being invisible to each other. Everything seemed to go well except for one small problem, and that was when they were walking about using the walkie talkies they could be heard but not seen. Therefore, breaking their cover, which wouldn't work if they wanted to stay inconspicuous.

So their only option was for Hermione to both silence and disillusion the three of them. This seemed to work inside of the Palazzo, but they would need to make sure it also worked outside as well, considering that this was a part of their mission. With the three leaders' permission, as they too were curious to see it for themselves, the trio were given half an hour to test things, outside in the city of Volterra to make sure everything worked as planned. Luckily for them it did.

All three of them were glad to get out of the confines of the Palazzo, but for Felix and Demetri it was so much more. They felt a freedom they never thought they would have again, because the only time they got to leave the Palazzo was to track someone on the Volturi's hit list. That afternoon the two of them had fun and laughed like young boys again. It was invigorating.

By the time they got back to the Palazzo and after Hermione had cancelled the spells, they both embraced her in a large hug and spun her around on the spot, while their eyes shone brightly with happiness. The display went noticed by almost everyone in the Volturi, with some being envious about what the three vampires had just experienced.

After they had practiced with the walkie talkies, Hermione packed her little black beaded bag with everything that they would need for the journey, maps, spare batteries, a couple of changes of clothing for all three of them and some other items. This didn't take her very long, so once she was done the trio then fed to build up their energy before the long journey ahead of them.

It was the first week of November and Caius reckoned it would take perhaps a week or two to get to Arefu, if everything went smoothly and they didn't meet any trouble along the way. That was including the fact they would need to stop frequently to feed. They were traveling by foot and even though they had vampire speed and didn't sleep they would still need to keep their energy levels up. Not just for the journey itself but also in case they came across any trouble and had to fight.

Once everything was done that could be done, Hermione went back to her quarters and decided to relax by going in a bubble bath. It was times like this when she wished she could simply lie back, close her eyes and fall asleep. That was one thing she really missed about being a vampire. The fact that each day blended into the next, and that she could no longer dream like she once did. Despite that, Hermione had now come to accept the fact she was a vampire, and that things were so much different now than to what they were when she was simply a witch.

Ridding herself of these thoughts she washed her hair and body before pulling the plug. She wrapped her long wet curls into a towel, and dried off her body with the spare, before dressing in a pair of black leggings and a red vest top. Since she had the rest of the evening to herself she decided to get some practice in with her magic, wanting to be as prepared as she possibly could be.

Towel drying her hair, as using magic still made her curls frizz slightly, she stepped out of the bathroom and into her quarters only to stop suddenly when she felt her whole body tingle and go on fire. Snapping her head up, she looked across the room to the adjourning door where Aro was now standing, a small smile on his lips. He took in the sight of her as he stood leaning against the door frame, as if him being there wasn't unusual.

Her whole body stiffened as she too took in the sight of him. He looked relaxed wearing a pair of black trousers and a white shirt that had several buttons opened, revealing a trail of dark chest hair underneath. Despite his lean figure and charming boyish features, seeing him now made her incredibly aware that he was very much a man.

"What-what are you doing in my quarters?" She asked removing the towel from her hair. She really needed to remember to put her wards up, as this was not the first time he had come into her rooms without her permission. Before she would have been pleased, but after the last time her feelings for him were all jumbled up and confusing, to the point that she didn't know what to think anymore. That and it was the night before she left to go on her first mission. The last thing she needed was him distracting her or confusing her any more than she already was.

He took a step further into the room, closing the door as he did and looked at her. The smile suddenly gone from his beautiful face.

"I apologise for coming in like this Hermione but I wanted to-" He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment before opening them to reveal his anxiety. "Don't go to Romania, reconsider and stay here with me. I can send Jane and Alec in your place."

Whatever she had expected Aro to say it certainly wasn't that. He always seemed so in control of himself, so fearless and yet as she looked at him now, she saw the vulnerability in him, she could hear it in his voice.

"I can't pull out now, everything is planned and we are all ready to go." She sighed then said, "Aro, Felix and Demetri need me."

He frowned at her words then said,

" _I_ need you. I never wanted you to go on this mission in the first place. Then when I heard about the dragons." He sighed and shook his head. "Hermione it is too dangerous, what if something goes wrong?"

He knew that he shouldn't be baring his soul to her like this, knew that he probably seemed weak, but he couldn't stop himself. The thought of something happening to her, his mate, when he wasn't there to do anything pained him greatly.

"Aro nothing will go wrong everything will be fine. You can't always hide me away from danger, we both know that."

He smiled, although it was resigned to the fact that she was right.

"I know." With that he took another step towards her, feeling the need to be closer to her. "I also came to the realisation that the night of the ball you danced with everyone except me. I would like to rectify that immediately."

She laughed at his words then said,

"What here, now?"

"Come." He said holding out his hand to her.

She simply stood looking at his outstretched hand for a moment, wondering if dancing with him and being so close was a good idea. He beckoned to her and she felt herself moving towards him before she even had time to process the action.

Taking his hand in hers, he guided her into his room and headed towards an old CD player before slipping in a disc and pressing play, then he turned towards her. He wore a small smile on his face and had both his hands out to her.

"May I have this dance Hermione?" He asked politely, always the gentleman no matter what.

She wanted to shy away from the intense heat that she saw burning in his eyes, but for some reason couldn't. Together they moved towards each other and embraced as they began to move and sway as one to the music.

Whatever song Hermione thought he would play; this certainly wasn't it. The moment the singer began she instantly recognised it.

She pulled away to look up at him, her eyes wide with shock and surprise.

"I had no idea you liked this kind of music." She exclaimed.

He chuckled at her reaction and pulled her back in close to him, while nuzzling the top of her damp curls with his nose. She smelled fresh and pure with only the smell of her shampoo blended in with her own unique scent. The whole thing was intoxicating to him.

"Oh and what kind of music did you think I listened to hmm?" He teased, enjoying the way that she felt in his arms.

"Honestly I thought classical and opera were more your style." She admitted.

He chuckled again and she could feel him gently shake his head no.

"Mio caro you cannot live as long as I have and simply restrict yourself from what the world and modern times has to offer. I admit, that my preference of music is classical, as for me it is timeless. But I also enjoy all the delights that music has to offer. As you can hear I am very open minded."

With that he pushed her away and spun her slowly around on the spot until her back was pressed against his chest. He let his hands slide down her bare arms until they were wrapped around her slender waist. Moving her hair away from her shoulder to reveal her pale slender neck, he peppered her smooth skin with featherlight kisses. She moaned and tilted her head to the side, giving him better access, as she squeezed her eyes shut and basked in the sensations that he was causing. She knew it was wrong, that they shouldn't be doing this, but somehow she felt too powerless to resist him.

"What have you done to me mio caro?" He whispered against her throat where the pale scar of her bite was still evident.

She shivered at his words and before she could answer, he moved one hand across her chest and spun her away from him, before pulling her back into his arms and bending her backwards.

Her eyes opened in surprise at this movement, before she felt the hand that wasn't holding her gently ghost over her face, down her neck, and across her breasts. He bent his head and gently sucked on the hollow of her throat, letting out a frustrated groan of need before standing her upright.

In that moment his mind was made up, when she came back from Romania, he was going to mark and claim her as his own. He could no longer wait for her decide anymore. She was his and that was the end of it.

Unable to do anything more they simply stood looking at each other, the passion of the moment clearly shining brightly in both of their eyes, as Hermione's hand slowly and involuntary touched her throat where he had been suckling.

The feeling of his soft lips still tingled and haunted her skin there. She wanted to say something, anything, but the words would not form. Her hand went to reach for him, to pull him back to her, but he moved away heading back to the CD player and switched the song off.

"You should go back to your quarters and relax. You have a busy time ahead of you and have to be prepared." He stood still, his back turned to her, and his head bent low as he dismissed her.

She stood for a moment, not knowing what to do or what had just happened, before heading angrily out his rooms and into her own. Slamming the door of their adjourning rooms as she went. She cast all the wards and silencing spells that she could think of making sure that she would never forget them again. This would be the last time he would ever step foot in her quarters uninvited. She would make sure of that.

She was sick of him acting hot one moment then cold the next. She was already so confused about the way she felt about him that she didn't need him toying with her anymore.

Feeling anger and frustration at the vampire, she set to work on practicing her magic on the poor unfortunate target doll that she had transfigured, and took out all of her pent up feelings on that. It helped somewhat but she found that she would rather hex the real live vampire from next door than this poor substitute, but for now it would do.

* * *

Night slowly turned into morning and Hermione quickly got ready to leave the Palazzo as soon as the morning sun had risen. She dressed in black trousers, hiking boots, a leather jacket and a white top, with her thick curls tied back into a high ponytail. She checked her small beaded bag several times making sure she had everything that they would need for the journey, wanting to make sure she hadn't forgotten something important.

Once everything was ready, she unwarded her quarters and cancelled the silencing spell, before pacing back and forth in front of the marble fireplace. She was nervous and excited but most of all she was anxious to get away from here, and to get away from him.

No matter how much she tried to practice her magic or read, she couldn't get her thoughts away from the leader of the Volturi. He was like a drug to her, the more he touched and caressed her, and the more his lips found her body. And the thing she hated the most was that she wanted more, so much more with him. This left her feeling angry at herself. Never did she think that she, Hermione Granger, would ever be so distracted by a man. She was a bookworm, she was an academic not a man daft harlot, like some people she knew.

When Felix and Demetri finally knocked on her door, relief flooded through her and when she flung it open, she immediately accosted them with a large hug.

"Wow my little witchling what has gotten you in such a tizzy this morning?" Demetri asked, an amused glint sparkling in his eyes.

"I'm just really looking forward to get going that's all." She replied, not exactly telling them a lie for it was the truth. Or rather part of it anyway.

"Good I'm glad to see you're so enthusiastic about it. But before we go we need to head into the dome room first. Aro wishes to speak to us." Felix said, noting the look of agitation in his friend's' eyes.

"Alright then, let's get going." She said stepping out her room and locking the door before casting strong wards on it. Even in her absence she didn't want Aro to be able to snoop around her quarters. If he tried she would know, for she had set the wards to alert her. But for now she just wanted to get the meeting over with, as quickly as possible and get away from there.

"Have you got everything we need my little witchling?" Demetri asked, with a raised eyebrow.

She smiled at him before dangling the little beaded bag in front of his face.

"Of course, everything's in here."

Demetri looked at it and grinned broadly before saying,

"Oh how I love magic."

With that the three of them walked up to the dome room to be greeted by all three of the leaders and some members of the guard who wanted to see them off. Or rather who were curious and wanted to have a nose.

"Ahh there are our three explorers." Aro said, standing up to greet the three of them, all the while avoiding eye contact with Hermione. He could not bear to face that just yet. "Are you already to go?" He asked, masking his feelings.

"We are Master Aro." Felix replied with a small bow of his head.

"Excellent." Aro replied before turning his gaze towards Demetri. "Before you leave I wish to have a quick word with you Demetri, if you please."

"Of course." Demetri agreed before following Aro to a quiet corner of the room.

With his back turned to the rest of the Volturi, Aro looked at Demetri and said,

"Remember your promise to me my friend. With your life."

Demetri knew that his Master was going to mention the talk they shared, and so wasn't surprised to hear his words.

"Of course, I meant what I said." He replied, hoping to reassure the other vampire that he did in fact mean it. He could understand how his Master was feeling in a way, he would feel just as apprehensive if it was him in that position. In fact, he did feel that way whenever Felix was sent on a mission and he was not, hence why they always tried to go together. There was nothing worse than being parted from your mate, especially when they could be in danger. But the difference was he and Felix had been together for many years, whereas his Master had only just found his. That, to Demetri, made things a lot worse.

"Good." Aro said instantly dismissing him.

When they turned back to the others Hermione and Marcus were deep in conversation, before Marcus cupped her cheek and kissed her head fondly. Despite what he had said to Aro, he too was just as worried about her leaving. He knew she was strong and powerful, but she had become like a daughter to him, and the thought of any harm coming to her, was never far from his mind.

"You will be careful mio angelo." Marcus whispered to her.

She wanted to roll her eyes at his words, and wondered if people thought she wasn't strong enough for such a task. She knew that she was being too hard on him and that it was simply fatherly concern but still it irked her nonetheless.

"Honestly I will be fine." She replied taking his hand in hers.

"I know, and I'm sorry." He replied before going into his jacket pocket. "I wanted you to have this, as I know yours is broken." He said opening his hand to reveal his Volturi pendant. It was similar to the guards except the leaders were more decorative looking, with an oval ruby gleaming at the top of the pendent and a diamond shaped ruby at the bottom of the V.

"Marcus thank you but I-I can't accept it." She said, her voice wavering slightly at his kindness.

He smiled down at her before putting the pendant around her neck, and fastening it.

"Of course you can mio angelo. Just remember to come back safely in order to return it to me." He took her hand in his and kissed it before looking up to see the others watching. "She's ready." He said letting go of her hand after giving it one final squeeze.

"Now the three of you be careful and be vigilant. And remember I want you back here no later than the first week of January. Good luck my friends." Aro said feeling his chest tighten at the broad smile on Hermione's face, as she turned to look at Felix and Demetri.

"Do you have your walkie talkies?" She asked double checking to make sure she had hers as well.

"Yes boss." Demetri said with a grin, while Felix just patted his at it his side.

"Good. Then I hope you're both ready." Not giving them the chance to say or do anything, she quickly disillusioned the three of them, before casting a silencing spell.

The members of the Volturi guard simply watched in awe as the three vampires disappeared right in front of their eyes. They quickly looked around the room to see if they could spot any traces of them, but couldn't. It was as if they weren't even there.

"Testing, testing one two three can you hear me, over." Hermione said into her walkie talkie.

"Hear you loud and clear little witchling, over." Felix replied.

"No need to shout you pair, over." Demetri said. "Should we have code names, for the fun of it, over? I can be stud." He said causing Hermione to laugh.

"Stud, right, over." She replied with a giggle.

"After that comment you should be wench, over." Demetri said.

"You pair knock it off, are we going or what, over." Felix said before adding, "And I want to be Hercules, over." Causing the other two to laugh. Out of the three of them Felix was always the more serious one, so it was nice and refreshing to see him act so playful.

"Ok so we have stud, wench and Hercules, over." Demetri said with a small laugh.

"Right, now that we've figured that out let's get out of here, over." Hermione said as she began to make her way towards the door. Knowing that she was invisible she stopped at the doors to the dome room before looking back at the three leaders, mainly to Aro. As much as she felt like she needed to get away from here, at the same time she couldn't help but feel like she was leaving a part of herself behind. If she was honest, she would even go so far as to say she would miss him. And of course she would miss Marcus.

"Hey wench where are you, over." Felix said through the walkie talkie, startling her from her thoughts.

"Sorry, just leaving the dome room now, over."

"Ok well we're at the doors to the Palazzo so let us know when you arrive, over." Felix replied.

"Will do." She said, casting one last longing glance at Aro before leaving to follow Felix and Demetri.

After the trio had disappeared the other members of the guard turned and left the dome room leaving only the three leaders standing there. Not knowing if the trio were there or not, Marcus waited a little while before patting Aro's back reassuringly and said,

"She will be fine brother do not fret. Have confidence in her."

Aro sighed, not wanting to think the worst when they had only just left, so smiled weakly at his brother and said,

"I know you're right but I cannot help but worry. I have waited my whole existence for her to come along, I cannot lose her now." He said quietly.

Marcus laughed and shook his head at him.

"Honestly brother no need to be quite so dramatic. Hermione will be fine; you won't lose her. _We_ won't lose her." He said trying to reassure Aro. He of course didn't know what Aro did, about the vision Hermione had. So even though he felt Aro was being dramatic, Aro knew the truth.

Never before had he wanted to confide in anyone more than he did at that moment, but knew he couldn't say anything, not if it meant breaking Hermione's trust. Something he had tried so hard to gain in the first place.

"You're right brother. I'm sorry." He replied.

"Now, what shall we do for the rest of the day then?" Marcus asked innocently.

Now that Hermione wasn't there, Aro felt at a loss as to what he should do. He could feel the emptiness inside of him, knowing that she had left the grounds of the Palazzo. He felt a sudden loneliness descend on him that only she could fill. If this was what it was like a few mere moments after she had left, he hated to think about what it would be like after a few weeks. This thought was unbearable.

"How about a glass of wine brother?" With that the three leaders headed off to their shared quarters, to toast the three brave vampires. They hoped that this trip would not prove futile and that they would come back with some useful information for them. In the meantime, they still had a War to plan.

* * *

Back at Hogwarts the new school term was underway and everyone was now settling back into school life, both students and Professors alike.

Albus Dumbledore sat alone in his office, at his large wooden desk studying a piece of paper that was clutched tightly in his hands. He had received it two days ago and had read it that much he could now repeat it word for word. And no matter how much he hoped it would, the words never changed.

He sighed deeply before rubbing his forehead wondering what he should do with the information that was contained in the letter. It didn't say much, and wasn't signed by anyone, but what it did contain worried him to no end. Hermione was in trouble and would need them, for War was coming. He of course knew that, but from what he could understand from this letter, things were a lot worse than he feared.

He sighed again and folded the letter before stuffing it into the back of the desk drawer. Sitting back in his chair he looked around his office before popping a lemon drop in his mouth.

"What to do?" He said to the empty room, except for the people in the portraits who either looked on or slept.

Fawkes, who was sitting watching his Master from his perch, began to trill a sad song, while straightening out his beautiful wings and flapping them, to get his Master's attention.

Albus turned to look at his familiar and smiled at the sight. Leaning over he petted the bird affectionately before smiling sadly at him.

"Yes, I think you're right my friend. We shall call an order meeting and see what the others think. If Hermione needs us, then we shall be there for her."

With that decided Albus suddenly went to work writing letters to the members of the order. Since the War on Voldemort was over and the remaining Death Eaters were caught and locked up in Azkaban, there was no need for frequent order meetings anymore, so over time the order simply disbanded. But just like Fawkes the Order of the Phoenix would soon rise once more from the ashes.

 **The song Aro and Hermione were dancing to, is one of my favorites and keeping in line with Twilight's soundtrack lol. It's called 'Madness' by Muse lol. Have a listen if you haven't already heard it lol. Xx**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

The first part of the trio's journey went relatively smoothly, as they made their way from Volterra up to Florence. They joked and constantly spoke to each other through the walkie talkies, as Felix and Hermione tried to keep up with an invisible Demetri, who was leading them.

Hermione wished she could have spent some time in Florence for this was a place she had always dreamed of visiting one day. Despite everyone thinking she was nothing more than an academic bookworm, she also had a passion for history, arts, and architecture, courtesy of her parents.

She wanted to visit The Duomo, a domed Cathedral set in the town of Santa Maria del Fiore. She had of course read all about the city and had even made a 'to visit' list of places she wanted to see, but information on a book was nothing compared to actually going and seeing it with her own eyes.

She wanted to visit art galleries and museums such as the Uffizi Gallery and the Palazzo Pitti. And walk across the Ponte Vecchio that overlooks the Arno River at night time. There was just so much history and culture in Florence and in Italy as a whole and she had wanted a taste of this, after finishing her schooling at Hogwarts and once the War was over, if she made it out alive.

Despite never having visited Italy, she loved the thought of going and touring the full country, seeing all the big cities such as Florence, Rome, Millan, Venice, and Naples. But unfortunately she would never get that chance, not as the person she was now.

So it was with a heavy heart that she passed Florence, seeing only a small glimpse of it from the outskirts as they made their way up to Bologna next. If Demetri and Felix noticed her sudden quietness, they didn't say anything and respected her mood change, although neither one understood what had happened to cause it.

Reaching Bologna however, she had quickly come out of her dark mood and began to do what she did best, ask the pair of vampires a lot of questions. She had never heard of Bologna before, but did wonder if that was where bolognaise sauce got its name from, yet she didn't know much about the city itself. So with a renewed enthusiasm she began to interrogate Demetri and Felix to find out what they knew.

They were happy to answer her questions, well the ones that they could, and rather liked this excited version of her, rather than the quiet companion they had earlier.

Hermione was told that this was the largest city and the capital of the Emilia-Romagna Region of Italy and was home to the second oldest university in the world, the University of Bologna which was built in 1088. This information of course piqued Hermione's interest as she wondered what it would have been like to live and study there as a normal muggle.

There were several interesting places to visit in Bologna, according to both Demetri and Felix, such as the Duo Torri, which are two of the most famous Roman defensive towers built in the city. There was also the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca, which is a beautiful basilica church built on top of a forested hill above the city, making it a prominent sight.

After making their way through Bologna, they then headed to their next stop called Treviso, the capital city of the Province of Treviso. Before heading to their final destination in Italy to a city called Gorizia, which bordered on to Slovenia.

They had been travelling for two days before reaching their last stop, for it had taken them longer than expected as the cities they passed were busy with humans, and it was a lot harder for them to navigate when they were invisible to each other.

They had made progress however, so Demetri thought it would be best to stop here, so that they could feed and build up their energy for the next part of the journey. On top of that Hermione's disillusionment charms were beginning to weaken, turning them from being completely invisible to looking like a slight shimmer. She had tried to keep them topped up, but it was hard doing it to people who she couldn't see while running. Although they still couldn't be detected, if someone looked long and hard enough they would see the slight gleam of their bodies.

Gorizia was the capital of the Province of Gorizia and was located at the foot of the Julian Alps which bordered on to Slovenia. They travelled to the bottom of the Alps so that they were close enough to the border, where they would eventually have to cross, but far away from humans, so as not to be noticed.

Hermione cancelled the disillusionment charms and the silencing charms, and smiled warmly up at the two vampires.

"Well it's so nice to see your pretty faces again." She said with a small giggle.

"Not sure I can say the same about you my little witchling, your hair is atrocious." Demetri said with a mischievous grin.

"And for once he isn't exaggerating." Felix added.

Hermione patted her head to feel stray frizzy curls that had come undone from the ponytail she had put it in when they first left Volterra, and after all that running at high speed it was no wonder her curls were bad. With a small frown she went into her beaded bag and pulled out a mirror and a brush, before setting to work. It seemed that no matter what she was, a muggle, witch or vampire, she would never escape this problem with her hair, despite how much it had tamed since she had turned into a vampire.

Putting the items back into her bag, she smiled and turned to the two male vampires who were sitting down under a tree, waiting for her to finish righting herself.

"There is that better?" She asked sitting down to join them.

"Much." They both said at the same time.

"So what happens next?" She asked, leaning her head down onto Felix's strong broad shoulder.

"Well next we should feed. It's better to do it often while we travel to keep our energy levels up." Demetri looked at her and gave her a small smile. "Felix and I will head to the nearest town and you can look here." He said.

Hermione frowned slightly at his words. He was being respectful of the fact that they fed from humans while she fed from animals, but she didn't like the idea of being too far away from them especially in such an unfamiliar country.

"How will we find each other?" She asked quietly.

"I am a tracker my little witchling." Demetri said with a smug smile. "Also I can put markers somewhere here so that we can easily find the location again."

She sighed knowing it was for the best. The last thing she wanted to see again was them feeding from humans. Ever since that fateful day in the dome room Aro, Marcus and Caius always made sure that Hermione was no-where near the room during their feeding time, which she was incredibly grateful for. But the smell that lingered in the dome room afterwards was both intoxicating and disgusting to her.

"Alright then let's do it." She said with a small smile.

"We promise we won't be long." Felix said squeezing her shoulder reassuringly.

Demetri sniffed the air then turned back in the direction they had just come from.

"I can smell the blood of a group of people coming from those who live on the outskirts of the city. About three miles that way. I think that would be our best chance without being caught." He said.

They had done this a lot throughout the years, so knew what they were doing without the risk of being exposed or leaving a trail behind. They also knew when to take a risk and when not to.

Felix nodded, trusting his mate before turning to face Hermione.

"Would you cast your little spell to make us invisible again little witchling, since we're out in the daylight and are more at risk of being seen." He asked.

Hermione smirked and waved her hand casting the disillusionment spell again.

"Thanks and remember we still have our walkie talkies if you need us little witchling." He added afterwards.

She sighed at the two invisible vampires and shook her head at them, her hands firmly placed on her hips.

"Honestly boys I can take care of myself, now go before I hex you both."

She heard them chuckling before Demetri said,

"Bossy little thing isn't she dear."

"She is that." Felix said in agreement.

"Go." Hermione yelled, while trying to stop herself from giggling.

Even though things were different now, she still at times thought about all the adventures she had shared with Ron and Harry, after all they had been a large part of her life at one point. She missed them more just now because of the similar situation she was in with Felix and Demetri. It was funny how she had settled into a trio with two boys as a witch, then having the same thing happening again as a vampire. Maybe she was destined to always be 'one of the boys', as they say.

Felix spoke on the walkie talkie to confirm they had now left the area and were heading to feed. So Hermione sniffed the air to find her own meal, which didn't take long to locate. There was a herd of sheep a couple of miles south or wild goats closer to the foot of the Julian Alps to pick from. Risking a chance, she began to run towards the goats, because feeding and killing one of the sheep could draw unwanted and unnecessary attention to herself.

She found a group of adult males, as she could tell by the size of their horns, foraging in one of the rough terrains at the side of one of the mountains. It wasn't too high for her to get too but it did mean she would have to climb. With her new strength and vampire speed it was easy work for her however.

She disillusioned herself and cast a silencing charm before making the short climb to where they were. She looked over the group of goats and located the largest of the males, probably the alpha, since he was the biggest and had the largest horns. She made her way towards them before pouncing on the one she wanted, having to duck and manoeuvre, as it panicked and butted her with its head and sharp horns. She wrapped her powerful body around its back and stomach squeezing it into submission, before sinking her teeth into its neck and sucking. The goat was using the last of its energy trying to escape but she had a tight hold of it. The other males in the group had ran away to a safe distance, some turning back to look as their leader became Hermione's meal.

Once she was done she headed back to the meeting point and patiently waited for Felix and Demetri to return. Hunting humans required more skill and patience than hunting animals, because they had to cover their tracks and then hide the bodies, whereas Hermione didn't have that problem. No-one would go looking for dead wild animals after all.

As soon as the two vampires had returned they were all ready to leave, so once she had cast her spells, they headed off across the Julian Alps and into Slovenia. Their next destination was Kranj, the fourth biggest city in Slovenia situated amongst a picturesque landscape.

Demetri had chosen to go through Kranj instead of Slovenia's capital Ljubljana, because it was large enough for them to pass through undetected. The capital city would no doubt be much busier because of the time of day, which would further delay them.

After Kranj they made their way to Ptuj without stopping. Just like they had done in Gorizia, they stopped and made a base camp before splitting up to feed. Once they met up again they relaxed for a while before moving on. So far they had been travelling for three and a half days straight and had no signs of other vampires in any of the areas they had been in. It also helped having the spells Hermione put on them, for this meant that they couldn't be sensed by others until the spells had been cancelled.

They left Slovenia and made their way into Hungary, passing through a city called Kaposvar in the south-western part of the country. They basically headed across the country in a straight-line to Mako which was in the south-eastern part. Again they choose to stop here to feed, but instead of leaving straight away, they made a small camp deep within a forest to discuss the next stage of their plans.

They were so close to entering Romania that they had to be extra vigilant now, as the chances of them running into members of the Romanian coven grew higher the closer they moved into their territory. And Mako wasn't that far from the Romanian border and their next destination.

Sitting on top of a fallen tree, the three vampires relaxed peacefully while discussing their next move, safe in the knowledge that there were no other vampires close by.

"We need to keep our eyes and ears open because no doubt the Romanians will be guarding the borders like hawks." Demetri said.

"Constant vigilance." Hermione said in agreement, with a small smile playing across her lips.

"Exactly." Demetri agreed, not realising the little joke Hermione had just made.

"Luckily for them they won't even know we're coming thanks to our own little witchling." Felix said nudging Hermione's shoulder playfully.

Hermione gave a very unladylike snort and rolled her eyes at him, although humour twinkled brightly in their depths.

"Glad I can be of some use." She said, nudging his shoulder back.

"So the next stop is Arad then on to Deva, where we will feed again, before finally stopping at your friend's sanctuary in Arefu. Will you be able to find them alright since the place is heavily guarded?" Demetri asked, having not given it any thought before.

Hermione nodded her head in the affirmative then said,

"Yes the closer I get to it, the more I will be able to feel their magic. Plus, if we get lost I can always send him a patronus for help."

Demetri looked at her curiously, knowing that she had probably already explained to him what a patronus was before, but he couldn't remember all the magical terms she had for things. Magic was incredibly mind boggling, especially to people like him.

She sighed and waved her hand to show him her bat patronus but what she saw surprised even her. Her normal otter was back moving elegantly through the air, as if it was swimming in water. She gasped at the sight before her and simply stared after it.

Having noticed the surprise etched onto her face, and having heard her small gasp of surprise, both vampires looked at her with concern, wondering if something was wrong with her magic or worse; her.

"What's the matter?" Felix asked looking from Hermione to the dancing otter.

"I don't understand." She whispered quietly.

She cancelled her patronus then took a step forward to where it had just been, her head bent low as she stood in quiet contemplation, trying to get her head around this new development.

What did this change mean? Her otter had turned into a bat when she realised that she was in love with Severus. Now it had reverted back, did that mean she was no longer in love with him? Sifting through all of her feelings she thought of Severus and tried to decipher what he meant to her. Right now she felt guilty, for she hadn't been thinking of him as much as she had at the beginning. She still ached and longed for him, but since she had been so focused on Aro and this new War, what she felt for Severus now had diminished slightly, but the love she had for him was not totally gone. She still loved him, she could feel it in her heart.

Her patronus didn't represent Aro either, so it couldn't mean that she was in love with him, as it would have taken on something that would have represented him in a way. A patronus only changed when someone went through an emotional upheaval, including falling in love. That's why hers had changed to a bat, because it had represented Severus the first day he taught her how to fly, and once she had realised she loved him. But she had never heard of anyone's patronus reverting back to its original state before. The only thing she could think of was, she was confused about what she felt for both Aro and Severus, so therefore her patronus had reverted back to what it had first been. It was the only logical explanation she could think of. Her heart didn't know which man she truly wanted, so for now she chose neither. It made sense in a way.

"Hermione are you alright?" Demetri asked, as both vampires came to stand next to her.

She nodded her head, trying to keep her emotions at bay before looking up at him, with big wide eyes. How could she possibly explain to them what this meant? It was confusing even to her, so how could they possibly understand.

"Yeah it's just…" She began to say before her voice trailed off. Her body instantly stiffened as her head snapped around to look at the side.

Vampires were descending on them quickly, no more than five miles away, coming from the borders.

"Do you think they are from the Romanian coven?" Hermione asked the two males by her side, who were also stiff and ready for a fight.

"I'm not sure but let's not take the chance. Hermione cast your spells. We will surprise them and if they are the Romanians we will fight." Demetri said, feeling the need to track them already.

"And if not?" Hermione asked.

"Then we will interrogate them and find out what they know. If they are innocent, we will release them. If not, they will be killed." Felix said bluntly, in his commanding voice.

Hermione nodded and cast her spells, before the trio moved through the trees to get into position. Her mind and body were preparing to fight, the closer the other group came to them. This was her first proper task as a member of the Volturi and she was excited. She had never quite felt like this before, and having Felix and Demetri by her side only made her feel more invincible at that moment.

"Stop at that clearing right in front. The group are just beyond those trees." Demetri instructed through the walkie talkies.

"Gotcha stud." Hermione replied with a small chuckle.

Following Demetri's instructions, the three vampires remained disillusioned and silenced as they watched and waited for the group to come into the clearing. Luckily they didn't have to wait long.

An adult male, who was probably the coven leader, and an adult female walked cautiously into the middle of the clearing. Looking around warily, before the male beckoned behind him.

"It's alright Anna come out." He said, as a teenage girl with dark brown hair walked slowly out of from the trees towards them.

Just looking at the three of them Hermione could tell that they were not part of the Romanian coven. They were cautious and looked absolutely terrified, as if they were running from something or rather someone.

"What do we do?" Hermione whispered through her walkie talkie, despite the fact that the silencing spell stopped them from being heard anyway.

"You and Demetri move behind the group, I will take them from the front. I don't think they are a threat, but we shouldn't risk it." Felix said, his tone sounding like that of an experienced commander. "On the count of three Demetri you grab the adult female, Hermione you grab the youngest female, then cancel the spells. Ready." He said giving them a second to prepare. "One, two, three."

Hermione rushed around the clearing and just before she grabbed the young woman, Felix shouted 'now' through the walkie talkies.

She cancelled the spells before grabbing the woman known as Anna. The two women screamed, while the man roared for them to let go before dropping to his knees in surrender.

"Please I beg of you don't hurt my family." He said looking at Demetri and Hermione. "Please." He begged again clasping his hands in front of him and shaking them, as if sending out a silent prayer.

"We will not harm them unless you tell us what we want to know." Felix said, looking strong and intimidating standing over the kneeling vampire before him.

"Anything, I will tell you anything, just please don't hurt them." He whispered. Felix moved his large black cloak revealing the Volturi pendent proudly displayed around his neck. The unknown vampire gasped, before moving backwards, a look of sheer terror on his face. "Y-you're Volturi." He said recognising it at once.

Felix slowly followed the man, as he scuttled backwards, knowing that he would not get very far if he tried to make a run for it. He looked like an honourable man however, so Felix knew that he would not go and leave his family behind. Knowing that if he did leave, death would claim them.

"We are, but we promise not to harm you or your family if you cooperate."

The unknown vampire looked at his family and whispered I'm sorry, causing the two women to struggle in their captor's arms.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, you're simply making things harder for yourself." Demetri said in warning.

"Go to hell." The woman hissed back. Demetri pulled on her harder causing her to moan in pain.

"Please, I will tell you anything, just let them go." The man pleaded seeing the pain and fear cross his mates face.

Demetri loosened his grip and nodded his head to Felix.

Hermione meanwhile held onto Anna, who had stopped struggling.

"It's alright." Hermione cooed. "You won't be hurt I promise." She whispered, so that only Anna could hear her.

Anna nodded her head, but didn't say anything as she watched the proceedings with her mother and father.

"Start by telling us who you are and why you are running away." Felix said moving closer to the male vampire, who had stopped moving and was now sitting hunched on his knees.

"My name is Abel Petran and that is my wife Flori and our daughter Anna, we come from Slobozia in Romania." He said indicating to the older woman first then to his daughter. "We are running because the Romanian coven have gone mad with power. War is coming to the Volturi soon." He said, his eyes downcast as he spoke the last part.

Felix sighed and looked as if he was bored before saying,

"We already know about the War, that is why we are here. If you are from Romania why are you running away and not fighting with your coven?"

Abel looked to his family sadly before gazing back up at Felix.

"They are not my coven. My family is and we are not fighters, we do not want to join this War. But those who do not join the army are killed, accused of being traitors. Whole families have been destroyed for saying no. I did not want that to happen to my family. So we fled. They have been chasing us since we left. They are coming." A look of sheer panic crossed his features as he spoke. "Please let us go, or they will find us and kill us."

Felix looked on at the pleading man, sympathy building for his plight, although he did not show it outwardly.

"Before I let you go, tell me what do you know of their secret weapon?" He asked.

The man sighed and looked at his family once more.

"We do not know what the secret weapon is, but we have been told that a man dwells within the coven, more powerful than any vampire before. They say he has the strength and power to destroy the Volturi once and for all. His hatred for your coven is beyond anything, anyone has ever heard of. But they are just stories." He whispered. "Please let us go. I have told you everything that I know." He pleaded once again.

"Very well." Felix said, before looking towards Demetri and Hermione and giving them a nod of his head.

At his command Hermione and Demetri let go of the two females, who instantly ran towards the male. They huddled together in fear and in gratitude before Abel looked up warily.

"You should leave here and go somewhere safe. We will distract the Romanians tracking you." Demetri said. They all knew the meaning behind his words.

"Thank you, thank you." Abel said rising to his feet and taking both his wife and daughters hands in his own. He moved them safely behind him, still not trusting the three Volturi vampires, before backing out the clearing, never once taking his eyes off the Volturi trio. Once he knew they were safe they fled, not stopping until they were far away from the three vampires they had always believed to be the enemy.

Felix, Demetri and Hermione stayed in the clearing after the family of vampires had fled, to discuss the new information that they had just heard.

"Do you think this male vampire is there secret weapon? Or do you think he just has a strong power?" Demetri asked curiously.

"I'm not sure, but if what Abel said is true then we are in for a much tougher fight than we thought." Felix said, rubbing his chin absentmindedly. "They are slaughtering their own people for not joining with them. Even the Volturi isn't that bad." He said with a remorseful sigh.

"Power hungry psychos are like that." Hermione said thinking of Lord Voldemort and his minions. He used the pureblood supremacy as a way to gain power and control. Despite the fact he killed muggles, half bloods and purebloods. He didn't care who it was he killed and tortured as long as he got what he wanted in the end. This Romanian coven sounded no different in her eyes.

"Now we sit and wait. The fight will shortly come to us." Felix said as his gaze drifted through the clearing.

A group of vampires were heading towards them and unlike the family of three who had just passed through the clearing, these vampires were clearly the enemy.

"Prepare yourselves for battle." Demetri said. Using his power of tracking he could sense that the other group were about twenty miles away, but it wouldn't take them long to close the distance between them.

Following his lead, the three vampires stood in a line getting into their defensive positions, eyes trained towards the other side of the clearing, as they waited. They didn't want Hermione to cast her spells because this time, they wanted the other group to find them.

* * *

Meanwhile back at Hogwarts night time had quickly descended and while the students were sleeping soundly in their beds, the first Order of the Phoenix meeting, since the end of the second War was taking place. Professors who were not in the order guarded the entrance of the Great Hall while others patrolled the corridors for any students breaking curfew.

Dumbledore greeted every member of what was now called the Third Order of the Phoenix. Some of the original members were still present, joined now by members from the second rising, and now there were new members who wanted to join.

Standing up and looking down at all the faces he smiled at them, gladdened by the mixture of people who were in attendance, some who he never believed would be sitting before him now, as members of the light.

Remus and his heavily pregnant wife Dora sat next to Arthur and Molly Weasley, the latter fusing over the pregnant witch. The Weasley children, although they were no longer classed as children now, were also in attendance. Percy, who had made up with his family after realising how wrong and foolish he had been, sat next to Bill and his wife Fleur. Then there was Fred and his fiancée Katie and also George and his fiancée Angelina. Alastor Moody stood, keeping a watchful eye on the proceedings next to Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minister of Magic. There were also the younger generation in attendance, Harry of course and Ron, were sitting next to Neville, Luna and Ginny. Then there was Albus, Minerva and of course Severus. The three biggest surprises however were Lucius, Narcissa and Draco.

After the War, when the Malfoys were found innocent thanks to the members of the Order, they had pledged their support to them as a way of thanks. Although they were not fully trusted as yet, for that took time after everything they had all been through, they were growing a tentative friendship with the other members. War changes people, and for some this change was a good thing, especially in the case of the Malfoys.

"Thank you all for joining me here tonight. I know that I have taken you away from your busy lives but I do appreciate you finding the time." Albus said, as the room fell silent. "The reason I have asked you all here tonight is because War is coming to the world again."

There was a collective gasp as everyone began to murmur amongst themselves.

"I do not understand; all the death eaters have been captured Albus. As the Minister I have received no such reports of this kind." Kingsley said, his arms folded across his chest.

"That is true my friend but the War I speak of is not a Wizarding War." He sighed. "Before the school term resumed, Severus, Remus and myself travelled to Volterra to see Hermione, as some of you already know. We were concerned about her wellbeing." He raised his hand up to shush the group, as they began to fear for their friend. "Do not worry she is doing quite well now." He said not wanting to delve in and tell them what she had gone through, for that was her story after all. "While we were there Hermione had another vision. Many years ago before the Volturi were in power, they had a century long War to overthrow the Romanian coven, who at that time had power over all the vampires. The Romanians are fearless, they want power and do not have rules to follow like the Volturi. They want their race to be out in the open and revered as Gods. The Volturi of course will fight this. Which brings me back to the topic of War." He looked over the top of his spectacles at all the pale faces, who knew where this was going. "The Romanians want their power back and have threatened War on the Volturi. A great battle will take place in February and right now the Volturi are amassing a small army, while the Romanians army grows larger every day. Hermione has seen the vision, she knows when and where this battle will take place." He sighed wearily before saying, "I fear that if the Volturi fail, the Romanians will take over their world, then move on to the muggle world and then onto ours. We have heard that they have a secret weapon but as of yet we don't know what that it is exactly."

"They have Hermione though and from what I've heard she is powerful enough to take on an army. Why involve us in something that does not concern our world?" Percy asked.

Severus glared at the man and through gritted teeth said,

"You want her to run into a battle like a lamb to the slaughter. Despite what you or anyone else thinks she is still one us."

Dumbledore put his hand gently on the Potion Master's arm, to try and calm him, before turning his own glare towards Percy Weasley.

"Severus is right, despite how powerful she may be, Hermione can't destroy an army with over 500 soldiers in it. And possibly more. She needs help, which is why I called you here today."

"Excuse me Professor Dumbledore." Harry said respectfully, while fidgeting in his chair. "But how are we supposed to fight against vampires like them. Didn't Hermione already say our magic couldn't work against them?" He asked.

Dumbledore sighed and nodded his head.

"That is quite right Harry, she did say that. But that doesn't mean she can't use _our_ magic against them." He said with a small twinkle. "You've all seen what she can do, we could help in that way. Also if she has any chance of winning, we need to give her back her wand." At his words Severus waved his own wand through the air, revealing Hermione's wand in a glass case. It was glowing faintly with a white light. "Mistress and wand must be reunited for the full force of her power to be unleashed. But the only way we can get it to her, is by going there ourselves."

He looked over all the faces as they looked at the wand in awe, and with a curious fascination.

"What do you propose?" Arthur, the more logical of the Weasleys, except for perhaps Bill, asked.

Dumbledore let his steely blue eyes travel across the room, to every member of the order.

"I propose that when the time is right, a group of us go to Hermione and help."

"And if we don't go?" Arthur asked again as he tried to think of all the pros and cons.

Albus Dumbledore sighed and looked solemn, as he stroked his long beard.

"Then I think we should all pray to Merlin that the Volturi wins. I do not want to think of what will be, should the alternative happen."

Again the group of order members began to murmur and speak amongst themselves as they listened to Dumbledore's words. They were not stupid or blind, they could see and hear the worry behind his words, and in his eyes that had lost that mischievous twinkle.

"Albus I should inform you then that we received a letter from Charlie not that long ago. Hermione and two other vampires are heading to Romania, she asked if they could set up a base camp at his sanctuary." Arthur said.

Dumbledore had not heard that news, and wondered what would drive her to go into enemy territory. Unless it was to gather useful information.

"Thank you for notifying me of that Arthur. I did not know that she was travelling." He said stroking his beard again in thought. "Would you perhaps write to Charlie and ask him to report back on Hermione and her friends and find out why she's there?"

Before anyone could say anything more, the doors to the Great Hall slammed open, and every member except for Dora, who couldn't stand that quickly because of her large baby bump, jumped up and pointed their wands towards the door.

"I'm so sorry. I couldn't stop her." Professor Flitwick squeaked, as he was pulled across the floor, still holding onto Professor Trelawney's leg.

"Sybill what is the meaning of this?" Albus asked, moving forward and with a flick of his wrist, closed the doors to the Great Hall once more. While Professor Flitwick rose to his full height and dusted off his clothing, trying to preserve some of his dignity.

Sybill seemed not to hear him as she glided towards the group, not looking at any of them. Her eyes seemed glazed and unfocused, like she was in a trance, and her breathing seemed loud and raspy. In a deep breathy voice that was not her own she said,

" _She who holds the power of two worlds, will perish in fire and death. A friend who is foe wishes to harm her. While a foe who is friend wishes to help. But only the golden light can save her, before the dark one can reach her."_

She coughed and barked, before looking around the room in a daze.

"Oh hello." She said before quickly passing out.

"Filius would you mind levitating dear Sybill up to the hospital wing." Dumbledore asked gently, having not moved since Sybill's prophecy.

"What?" Filius squeaked, surprised at where he was. "Yes, yes of course." He swished his wand causing an unconscious Sybill to be lifted into the air, following behind Filius as he left the Great Hall.

Albus waited for the doors to close before heading back to his chair, and slumping down onto it as he ran his hands across his face and beard. He sighed heavily before looking at the stunned faces of the group, who simply gazed at him.

"I believe things are much graver than I thought." He whispered, almost to himself.

Severus felt like ice was running through his veins. He had no doubt about who that prophecy was about, but if it was true then Hermione was going to die. There was no easier way to put it. He couldn't let that happen, he had already lost her once, he couldn't bear to lose her again. Not like that.

"I will go to Volterra with you Albus and I will fight alongside the Volturi." Severus said.

Dumbledore's eyes turned to the Potion Master, as he saw the anguish in the young man's dark gaze.

"Thank you my boy." He whispered in understanding, knowing what the young woman in question meant to him.

"I will fight too." Harry said standing to his feet. "Hermione is our friend. She saved our lives and I think it's time we repaid her."

At that moment, Severus had never been more proud or thankful to the young man he had always seen as an enemy. He nodded to him in gratitude and saw happiness flicker in the young man's eyes.

"Bloody hell Harry this is just like old times." Ron said standing to his feet. "Guess I'm in too."

"Brilliant." Harry exclaimed, causing Molly to whimper in the background.

"If you think I am letting all these adolescent whippersnappers have all the fun then you're wrong." Alastor Moody said, puffing out his chest. "I will fight too."

"And me." Kingsley said.

Neville rose valiantly and joined Ron and Harry.

"I-I will too." He stammered, although he had the look of someone who was determined.

Dora nudged Remus, despite the fact she was heavily pregnant she didn't want to stop Remus from helping his friend. She wasn't due until January, so she hoped he would be there for the birth.

"Are you sure?" He whispered into his wife's ear.

She nodded, all the while rubbing her stomach gently.

"If it wasn't for Hermione Remus, we wouldn't be here to enjoy our son. We wouldn't be able to bring him up in a world without fear. Harry's right, we owe her a lot."

Remus smiled at her affectionately before kissing her head, then stood to his feet.

"I will fight too."

"So will…" Fred said.

"We." George finished, high fiving each other.

"If these two prats are going then so am I." Bill said ruffling the hair of his twin brother's heads.

Ginny who had been looking on stood up with a glare.

"Well if they're all going so am I." She huffed.

"Me too." Luna said, her soft voice floating through the air.

Molly Weasley jumped up from her seat then and shouted unable to take anymore.

"No." She shook her head and moved towards her daughter. "I was just about coping with the boys going but I am not allowing you girls to go. Albus, War is no place for these girls." She said, pleading for him to agree.

"Yes you are quite right Molly dear." He said to the moans of some of the females who had been eager to join. "We do not think any less of you, in fact we admire your courage but Molly is right. The females will stay here, Minerva." He said turning to look at his Deputy. "You will stay here and run the school in my stead."

Minerva rose slowly to her feet, her gaze never wavering from his twinkling baby blue eyes.

"Albus bloody Dumbledore you are incredibly foolish." She said sternly. "But also very brave." Her face softened as she stood up on tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek, much to the surprise of those in the room. "Thank you." She said, after all Hermione was still one of her treasured cubs.

For the first time ever, the members of the Order of the Phoenix were surprised to see the powerful wizard blush a deep red.

"Yes well." He choked out.

Lucius who had been watching the proceedings quietly rose to his feet, along with his son and said,

"The Malfoys will fight too." The whole group quickly turned to stare at him as if he had just grown a pair of antlers. "Hermione saved my family and helped clear my name. There is nothing we wouldn't do for her." He said truthfully.

Dumbledore smiled, seeing the unity between the unlikely group of allies.

"Then it is settled. We will leave for War and help our friend." Dumbledore said. With that the first meeting of the Order of the Phoenix had come to an end, as the group who would be leaving for Volterra agreed to meet up before they left, in order to go over there plans. Excitement and fear gripped the group, but they all knew that there was never going to be any other outcome. Hermione was, and always would be a part of them, despite the fact she was a vampire. With the love and loyalty they had for her, no-one saw her wand glow whiter.

The room emptied as all the members left to go back to their respected homes, with only Albus and Severus staying behind as they tried to make sense of the rest of the prophecy.


	23. Chapter 23

**WARNING- This chapter contains violence.**

 **Chapter Twenty-Three**

The trio of vampires had been waiting in the clearing now for only mere minutes, but to them it had felt a lot longer. Anticipation and excitement wrapped around them as they waited for the enemies to arrive. Even Hermione could feel the build up for what was about to happen, causing her magic to crackle around her body, and enveloping the air around them.

They didn't speak, they didn't move, they simply stood like statues in their defensive positions as they patiently waited. Their gazes trained on the outskirts of the clearing, waiting for any kind of movement to signal the enemy vampires.

Abel and his family had long gone, for Demetri could no longer sense them. Whether they left so quickly because of the vampires chasing them, or because of them being Volturi, he wasn't sure. He was just glad that they had left unscathed, when they did.

Finally, as the anticipation became almost unbearable, movement finally caught their attention. Emerging from the outskirts of the clearing were no less than ten vampires from the Romanian Coven, slowly and confidently walking towards them. Obviously they felt that because they outnumbered the three Volturi vampires, the fight was going to be an easy victory.

A young woman with strikingly long black hair and piercing red eyes, who didn't look that much older than Hermione herself, walked further ahead of the rest of the group. Looking at the three vampires in front of her, she grinned menacingly at them, then held up her hand stopping the others from walking any further.

She turned her head to the side, without taking her eyes off the three Volturi members and said,

"Look what we have here gentlemen." She grinned. "Volturi scum."

The others chuckled at her words, before she turned her head fully back to the three vampires in front of her. Her gaze travelling slowly across all three of them before stopping fully on Hermione. At the sight of her, the female's eyes widened in both shock and fear.

"You." She hissed out. "So the rumours are true then, a vampire witch with a heart." She said in broken English. The fear that had been etched on her face only moments ago, suddenly cleared as another malicious grin spread across her beautiful face. "My Masters will be so disappointed that they didn't get the chance to meet you in person. But I will take great enjoyment in describing how it was _I_ who killed you."

Hermione felt unafraid at the other vampires' words, and did not fear her for some reason. Perhaps it was the fact that she already knew how she was going to die that stopped her from being afraid, she wasn't sure. Feeling confident Hermione tilted her head defiantly, her own smile gracing her face as she said,

"I wonder how you will be able to tell your Masters that, when it will be you who dies at my hands." Once again the female vampire had fear flash across her face and Hermione used that to her advantage. "From your words I take it you have heard about my powers then. Perhaps a small demonstration is in order for you all." She had been studying the group and sought out the vampire she had viewed as their biggest threat. One of the males, who was as big and burly as Felix stood to the left of the female, almost like a bodyguard. Her plan was if she could weaken him, then that could help the trio. She lifted up her hand slowly, causing the vampires to recoil as they wondered what she was about to do. With a deadly sneer, she waved her hand slightly before pointing it at the male and shouting, "Crucio."

All at once the vampire began to moan and writhe in pain, but somehow he was strong enough to resist it.

Tapping into her magic she pushed it out of her hand, enhancing it, causing the green light of the unforgivable curse to escape and illuminate everything around the male vampire.

His moans of pain quickly turned to screams of agony, as he clutched his head and fell to his knees. His body rolling and contorting with the pain of a thousand knives.

The other vampires watched in stunned silence before the female, who was most likely the group's commander, let out a feral growl.

"Enough." She yelled out in anger. "It is time to put an end to you scum once and for all." She turned to the others and yelled, "Kill them and have no mercy but leave that bitch to me."

Hermione stopped her spell as the Romanian vampires' came charging towards them, and together they clashed in a fierce battle.

Four members of the other group ran towards Felix, in the hopes of overwhelming him, but they had underestimated his strength and stealth. He was quick to move away from the four vampires and ducked as one tried to land a punch on him. He rammed his head into their stomach, before pulling off the other male's head with ease. The other three took Felix's momentary distraction to set upon him again, and for a brief moment they were able to overpower him, but he quickly pushed his body backwards slamming himself and the vampires into a nearby tree.

Demetri, who wasn't nearly as strong as Felix, but was quick in his movements, managed to body slam one vampire who had been running at him to the ground, his arms outstretched as if to grab at Demetri. They had tussled on the ground, Demetri having the advantage of being on top, while the other vampire lashed out trying to hit any part of the Volturi vampire that he could reach. Someone grabbed on to Demetri's throat from behind, causing him to try and pry their fingers from around him. The vampire underneath managed to land a punch at Demetri's stomach causing both Demetri and the other vampire to topple backwards. The hands that had been gripping onto his throat slackened, and he was finally able to retaliate. He punched the vampire in the face several times, causing cracks to appear on his cheek and lips, before putting pressure on his throat and squeezing as hard as he could, before the sound of shattering could be heard. With a small twist the vampire's head came off in his hands and he flung it mercilessly to the ground in disgust, before picking himself up and re-joining the battle.

While the attention of the other vampires was mainly on Demetri and Felix, Hermione's eyes were focused solely on the female vampire and the male she had just tortured. He was still lying on the ground, the aftershocks of the curse tearing through his body, and causing his large solid frame to tremble and spasm.

"This is going to be fun." The other female hissed before advancing towards Hermione.

Hermione's eyes narrowed and she let out a roar, before running to meet the other female halfway. Together they met in a whirl of flying fists and angry snarls, as the rest of the battle was lost to them.

The other female grabbed Hermione by the hair and flung her around, before letting her go. She went flying through the air and crashed into a rock, slamming her head against it hard. Luckily for her she was a vampire and not a mortal otherwise her neck would have snapped at the impact.

Hermione rose to her knees and glared at the other female who looked mighty pleased with herself, causing Hermione to snarl at her in warning.

"You'll pay for that." She hissed out, before standing straight to her full height.

"I doubt that Volturi scum." The other vampire replied with a wicked grin, as she had the audacity to beckon Hermione over to her.

Hermione could have used her magic to her advantage but she didn't want to at the moment, wanting to save that as a last resort. She had been practicing her fighting skills with Felix and Caius and wanted to try them out first.

Rolling her shoulders and moving her head side to side, as if to crack her neck, she moved back into her defensive position and focused all of her attention on the female vampire.

Seeing Hermione do this, the female copied her and moved into her own position. As soon as she had, the two females once again ran towards each other, jumping in mid-air and grabbing each other by the shoulders. The moment they reached the ground Hermione punched the female in the stomach before flipping her over her shoulder.

The other female was quick and ran at Hermione, her head butting into her chest, and sending them both flying across the clearing. Hermione punched the other female twice, before they rolled across the ground, with Hermione having the advantage as she straddled the other female, wrapping her hands around her throat and adding pressure. Before she could do any damage however, the other female rolled them across the muddy ground, slackening Hermione's grip around her throat. She flipped Hermione onto her back and let out a growl as she then wrapped her own hands around Hermione's throat.

Hermione's eyes widened and she tried to kick her legs to buck the other female off of her, but to no avail. Her hand reached out and the tips of her fingers brushed against a rock. Stretching her body and arm out to the side, her fingers eventually wrapped around the hard object, and with all the energy she had she whacked the female across the head using all her strength and power.

The female vampire screamed at the impact and immediately rolled away from Hermione, her hands clutching at her now cracked face.

Hermione got to her feet and kicked the female hard sending her flying into a tree. She took a couple of steps towards her, and seeing Hermione advancing slowly the other female rose unsteadily to her feet, still clutching at her face before setting off into a run, away from Hermione and away from the battle.

Not wanting to lose track of her Hermione began to run, trying to catch up with the fleeing female.

"Coward." Hermione roared, as the female vampire weaved in and out of the trees.

Just when Hermione thought she was catching up with the injured female, she turned then disappeared amongst trees, and Hermione lost sight of her completely. She tried to follow her but to no avail. She stopped and looked around trying to hear any distinct noises or sense her but she couldn't hear or see anything. Turning her back against the path she had just entered from she searched the trees in front but couldn't locate her.

The Romanian vampire crouched down low on top of a tree branch high above the forest floor and watched as Hermione looked around for her. Waiting until her opponents back was turned, she stood up and jumped down grabbing on to Hermione's back.

They once again rolled through some bushes, but what neither of them knew was that they were headed towards a steep rocky embankment. They hadn't realised their precarious position until the two of them tumbled down the embankment together, neither wanting to let the other go, as they crashed into rocks and debris.

Finally reaching the bottom, the sudden jolt separated them sending the other female flying across the dirt with a last final bump.

Hermione could do nothing but lie on the ground, as her head spun and ringing could be heard in her ears. She tried to move but every part of her body ached and protested against such movements. Eventually Hermione managed to flip herself onto her stomach, when she heard the other female groan out in pain from in front of her.

Shaking her head gently, trying to stop her vision from spinning, she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, before opening them and locating her enemy.

The other female vampire was lying on her side, her back facing Hermione, motionless. Her clothes were ripped and covered in dirt just like Hermione's was.

Hermione's body ached and there were probably parts of her that were broken, as she slowly pulled herself across to where the other female was lying. Ringing could still be heard in her ears, and she was incredibly disorientated as she clawed her way across the grass and dirt, unable to stand on her feet just yet.

Finally making it over to the other female, she reached out a shaking hand, and grabbed the other vampire by the foot, hauling her across the bumpy ground until she was fully underneath her.

One red eye moved to look up at Hermione's face with fear and trepidation, the other eye was missing as well as part of her face. Hermione recoiled back in disgust, realising the damage that she had inflicted, despite the fact it was necessary.

"It seems." The other female rasped out from cracked lips. "I underestimated you." The pain she was feeling was unmeasurable. Her body was broken and her face was cracked. She knew that in time it would all heal itself, but time, it seemed was not her friend at the moment. "End it." She pleaded. "Kill me now." She said, knowing that she would rather be put out of her misery than stay alive through all of this.

Whether it was guilt or something else Hermione didn't know, but with a slight nod of her head, she wrapped her hands around the other female's throat and began to pull. Before she could do anymore damage however, a cry of 'no' could be heard, before something hard hit into Hermione, knocking her from her kneeling position and sending her across the dirty ground.

Her vision had blurred further as she tried to flip herself onto her stomach, not realising that the throat of the female vampire was still clasped in her hands. A shadow crossed Hermione's vision before a strong grip grabbed at her hair, before banging her head off the ground several times. She had no energy to stop the big burly male vampire that she had tortured earlier and feared that this could be the end for her.

"Volturi scum." She heard him cry out as his fist connected with her face. He raised his clenched hand up for a second time, while Hermione squeezed her eyes shut, ready for the painful impact, which to her surprise didn't come.

The male vampires hand was suddenly grabbed in mid punch, before it was twisted and broken off in a loud crack. He howled in agony and slumped backwards, away from where Hermione was lying.

"You will _not_ touch her again." Felix yelled as he flung his body on top of the other male, who was no match for the powerful Volturi vampire.

Demetri came to Hermione's side and cradled her head gently on his lap.

"You sure do know how to cause a stir." He sniggered, although the worry was clearly etched on his face, as he gazed around him at the scene.

Hermione tried to smile but the pain was too much, and her vision darkened. She was weakened and sore just now, but in time her body would regain its full power and strength back. Perhaps next time she wouldn't be so heavy handed in the fighting.

"How is she?" Felix's anxious voice came from somewhere above her.

Demetri sighed and gently stroked her dirt covered hair.

"She'll live." He answered truthfully. "But she's going to be sore for the next few days. So I don't think we should move her from here just yet."

"Alright. I will go and gather up all of the bodies and burn them. Then I'll go hunting for her. She needs to keep up her strength in order to heal fully." Felix said before his voice drifted away from them.

Demetri looked down at his friend, somewhat in awe. She was fearless and took risks, sometimes when they weren't needed, but she done what she had to do no matter what the cost to her was. He admired that about her but at the same time feared her reckless behaviour.

"Next time we get into a fight with some enemy vampires, don't go running off where we can't see you, alright." He said planting a small brotherly kiss upon her forehead.

She grinned at him and tried to nod her head in reply but it was too painful. Perhaps she had been a tad foolish with her antics.

"Alright." She managed to say in a hoarse whisper.

Demetri sighed and held her small frame to him. He had promised to protect her and so far he was doing a lousy job of it. Only half way through their journey and already she was hurt. He knew that he shouldn't blame himself as they had all been embroiled in a fight, but still he couldn't shift the guilt that he felt and wondered what Aro would say when he found out.

"My little witchling I'm going to have to move you alright. So this might hurt a little." Standing to his feet, he bent down and scooped up her petite body into his arms. She didn't moan or make any sound, but her eyes squeezed shut betraying how much pain she was currently in.

He walked over to a large tree and sat down with her still cradled in his lap, while Felix gathered up the remains of the scattered bodies to burn back in the clearing. They would stay here for a couple of days until she was better and able to continue the rest of their journey, until then he would take care of his little witchling and make sure she healed quickly.

* * *

They only stayed for one day in the forest in Mako, Hungary, while Hermione recovered. Luckily for her nothing was broken but she did have several small cracks over her body. Felix and Demetri took care of her while the cracks knitted painfully back together.

Felix went out hunting for her twice so that she could feed and keep up her strength, as the regular intake of blood made her heal quicker. He did try and say that drinking human blood would be better for her, but as expected she was having none of that.

They took turns chaperoning her while they too went out hunting. The battle had taken it out on them as well, but unlike Hermione, neither of them had any injuries. They were more experienced and refined when it came to the art of fighting. Something that Hermione was still lacking in. Despite all her practice recently, she had learned some skills in fighting, but when it came to putting them into a real situation, Hermione was reckless and didn't have the finesse that the other two vampires had. That would come in time with practice and experience. Despite this Hermione was still very much a force to be reckoned with.

When they told her of this reckless behaviour she giggled at them and said that was her Gryffindor tendencies coming out in her. They of course didn't understand the full meaning behind her words, but she explained all about her house and what being a Gryffindor stood for.

So that was how the trio of vampires spent the night in the forest, with Hermione explaining more about the school she had attended. About the four houses and what character traits you had to have, in order to be sorted into a particular house. Felix and Demetri were of course intrigued by all of this. The magical world, although a complete mystery to them, also seemed so wonderful and surreal.

They had only seen Hogwarts from the grounds, when they had first went to go and fight Hermione, and then again when they collected her. But they wished they could go back and see it properly. They were especially intrigued about all the hidden dangers that she spoke about, like the Chamber of Secrets and seeing the big snake skeleton. And they really wanted to meet a centaur, creatures that again they didn't know even excited until they met Hermione. There was so much about the magical world that they wanted to know and understand better.

Hermione had told them that, this was how she felt when she had first turned into a vampire as well, and when she first got her letter to attend Hogwarts. She had spent her whole childhood reading fairy stories and wishing she could be a part of that world, that when she got her letter she couldn't believe it. Joining the vampire world however, had been such a different experience altogether.

When the sun rose the next again morning, Hermione was up and about, but she was a little slow on her feet, as one of her ankles had cracked at a rather odd place, slowing her down.

She was, of course, insistent that they leave, but Felix and Demetri were both reluctant to while Hermione was still injured. They all knew that they were behind schedule with traveling to Arefu however, so instead of being further delayed, they agreed that Felix, since he was the biggest and the strongest, would carry Hermione on his back.

She of course needed much persuading at this idea, believing it was undignified. But when the two vampires explained that they had no other choice and would have to stay there longer, she quickly relented. Much to her own chagrin and to the amusement of the two males.

After checking the area and covering all the evidence of their battle up, they set off from Mako and finally crossed the Romanian border, as they made their way into enemy territory. It didn't take them long to cross paths with more members of the Romanian coven as they stood guarding the border waiting.

Luckily for the trio, Hermione's magic was still at full strength, and thanks to her concealment spells, they could walk amongst the other coven members without fear of been caught or having to fight more, as Hermione was still recovering from the battle to enter upon yet another one so soon. So they took this opportunity to spy and see if they could gather any useful information.

They hid amongst the trees with Hermione still being carried on Felix's back. She wasn't a hindrance to him because of his vampire strength, and most of the time he didn't even remember she was there.

"Demetri are you in position?" Felix asked into the walkie talkie. They had agreed to take different trees and spread out so that they could hear the other coven members better. There was only a small group of about five guarding the border. But the trio didn't want to draw any more unnecessary attention to themselves.

"It's stud to you Hercules and yes I am." Demetri said with a small grin, not that Felix or Hermione could see him. "Are you hearing anything at your end?" He replied.

Felix and Hermione had sniggered at him, before Felix said,

"Nope nothing useful. What about you?"

There was silence for a couple of minutes before Demetri finally replied,

"They are talking about Abel and his family and wondering where Lela and the other group of vampires are. I take it they must be the ones we took care of." He said sounding quite smug.

"Must be." Felix said with a small chuckle. "What else are they saying?" He asked.

Again there was silence before Demetri answered,

"They are concerned that she's not back yet and are worried that something's happened. They are discussing whether or not to send someone after them to check." Demetri laughed again then said, "Not that they will find very much."

Hermione rolled her eyes at her friend, but could not hide the small smile. Boys will be boys especially when it came to their victories.

"If they send someone to check and can't find them, then they might head back to Timisoara and tell their Masters. Maybe this is a good thing and we can draw them out of hiding." Felix said in that now familiar commander's voice.

"Now that sounds like a plan. Perhaps we should have left them a little trinket after all." Demetri replied with an exaggerated sigh.

Felix grinned although neither of the two vampires could see it and said,

"Well actually I may have left a small trinket."

Hermione who had been listening intently quickly asked,

"What did you do?"

He laughed at her shocked voice and said,

"That disgusting male who attacked you, I may have left his hand in the dirt as a small token. He wore a ring on his middle finger so one of his friends may recognise it."

Hermione remembered the punch that the male had laid on her, and how she had waited for the second one which never arrived. Instead she had heard the crack as Felix had grabbed him by the wrist and snapped his hand off, with so much ease.

"Good." She said firmly.

"Right, I think we've heard enough. Let's leave now. Hopefully they will do what they've just said, and if they don't then perhaps we can find another way to draw their Master's out to play." Felix said.

With that, the trio of vampires made their way back down to the ground and set off once more and headed to their next stop which was Arad. They couldn't stay long here as this city was fairly busy compared to the others that they had been in. They needed to stop and feed however before they carried on to Deva.

Just as before they found a forested area to hide in and chaperoned Hermione, while one of the two males of the trio went to feed. Felix was last to go and when he came back he had a nice large pig with him for Hermione to feed from.

Once they had finished, they set off again and headed to Deva, their last stop before going to the dragon sanctuary where Hermione's friend would be.

Timisoara, where the Romanian coven was based, was in the middle of both their two stops in Romanian, so the three vampires found themselves even more vigilant than before, as they looked out for enemy vampires. They did not meet any at either Arad or Deva, and didn't know if this was a good thing or not.

Felix and Demetri told Hermione how the city of Deva was found in the region of Transylvania, where the fictional character of Count Dracula was supposed to live. They went on to explain that this character was supposed to be based off of Vlad the Impaler, or rather Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia.

Hermione had heard the basics of this story, but was nonetheless enthralled by it anyway, as she listened to both the males talking.

They explained how he was a member of the House of Draculesti, Vlad Dracula, and how he was revered by the Romanian people from both North and South of the Danube whom he protected. Despite protecting those who saw him as a leader, he was also a cruel man who impaled his enemies, with his reputation spreading across other countries. That was how the character in the Bram Stoker's book got the name of Dracula.

"So I take it he wasn't actually a vampire then?" Hermione asked, hearing the myths and stories surrounding him.

The men chuckled before Felix said,

"No he wasn't but he knew many people who were, as the Romanian Coven didn't hide themselves from humans. That didn't mean he didn't want to be one however. But he was far too evil and no-one wanted him as a vampire. He would have killed thousands if he was and probably would have been worse than the Romanian Coven and the Volturi Coven put together." Felix explained. "He was unstable and unreliable and even his own people who were vampires could see that. They didn't want him as one of their own."

Hermione found the whole subject to be fascinating, although a little morbid especially when the two males told her about his other forms of torture that was reported throughout history. Like him killing children and then cooking and feeding them to their own mothers. That in itself disgusted her. How someone could be that cruel she had no idea.

Well she did, she thought, Voldemort when he was alive done cruel things himself, although they paled in comparison. He was not above killing innocent women and children, because of their blood status or because of their connections. Harry and his parents were prime examples of that.

She shuddered not wanting to think of such things and quickly changed the subject as they made their way to Arefu.

Arefu, they told her, was a commune in Arges County in Southern Romania, which was split into three villages, Arefu, Capatanenii Pamanteni, which was in the centre, and finally Capatanenii Ungureni.

Arges County as a whole was made up of Mountains, hills with deep valleys, lots of forested areas and flat lands, with rivers. There was a long winding road called the Transfagarsan, which passed through the mountains and linked up several small villages together. Hearing all this Hermione could understand why the Dragon Sanctuary was found in such a place.

It was in a remote location, hidden from muggles. There was plenty of natural food and drink sources available, and was easily accessible. It was perfect.

Once they had reached Arefu, Hermione had no idea where she was supposed to be going, so waved her wand and sent a patronus to Charlie, asking him for help and guidance. She hoped that they would reach the sanctuary soon for nightfall was nearly upon them.

It didn't take long for Charlie's dragon patronus to arrive and when it spoke, Demetri and Felix recoiled back in fright.

"Hey Mione glad you could make it. Just follow my patronus and he will lead you to the sanctuary. Don't worry if you can't see it at first, just think of Hogwarts and muggles. See you soon."

Hermione laughed at Charlie's eager voice. She understood what he meant by his message, as muggles who looked upon Hogwarts would only see a ruined castle because of the magic protecting it. That was the same as the Dragon Sanctuary. She could understand why it would have such protection because muggles who looked at it wouldn't see the large walls of the sanctuary or the dragons they housed. It was truly brilliant.

The dragon patronus huffed before butting Felix's hand. He had not been expecting it, so instantly pulled back from it. Hermione couldn't contain her laughter at seeing the big powerful vampire looking so wary.

"Relax Felix it can't hurt you. It's made from light and is caused by the person's happy thoughts." She turned to the dragon patronus and smiled, how apt that Charlie's patronus was a dragon, she mused. "Go ahead and lead us to Charlie."

The dragon turned its back on the three vampires and gently spread its wings before flying through the air, not going fast that the three vampires couldn't keep up, but fast enough so that it kept a steady lead. They travelled over large hills and through small forests. They walked over flat grassy areas and made their way across some water, until finally they began to walk through a thick dense forest. It was now nightfall but because of their superior eyesight they could see just as well as they would if it was daylight.

Eventually the dragon flew around their heads twice before the light faded into nothing.

Hermione looked in front of them with a huge smile on her face as she saw a giant wall about 100ft tall, with a portcullis big enough for humans. She had no idea how the dragons entered the sanctuary, but Charlie would be able to explain everything later.

She could feel the magic of the sanctuary radiate around them in long crackling waves, and it brought so much pleasure and excitement to her. She had been away from the magical world for what seemed like a lifetime now, but was only mere months. Being around it again was like a soothing balm to her.

She climbed down from Felix's back and hobbled closer to the giant wall, her hands outstretched towards it, as she felt the magic of the wards tingle against her skin. It only left her feeling exhilarated and wanting more.

"Hermione what is it?" Felix asked cautiously, coming to stand next to her.

Without removing her hands or eyes away from the sight in front of her, she calmly and quietly asked,

"Look in front of you and tell me what you see?"

He looked to where Hermione said and frowned,

"I see a crumbling wall and some overgrown grass and shrubs. Nothing special."

Hermione laughed and nodded her head then said,

"Put your hands out and tell me what you feel."

Again Felix frowned at his friend, but then curiously done as she asked. He put his hands out expecting to feel nothing, but instead felt a small tingling sensation on his palms. He gasped in surprise and immediately pulled away.

"Is something there?" He asked seeing the triumphant look on Hermione's face.

"There sure is." She laughed

Not wanting to miss out on anything magical, Demetri came over and done the same thing as Felix and Hermione had. He too could feel the slight tingling on his palms.

"What is it?" He asked looking at his friend, with a small excited smile.

Finally, she turned to look at the two males, her eyes alight with excitement and happiness.

"That my boys, is magic." Just as she spoke a creaking noise could be heard, as the portcullis slid up revealing a beaming red headed Weasley and another tall wizard with shoulder length dirty blonde hair. He wasn't smiling but he seemed pleasant enough.

Felix and Demetri instantly stood in front of Hermione, blocking her from any possible danger, but she gently put her hands on each of their arms and smiled up at them.

"It's alright, that's my friend Charlie." She said reassuringly.

Parting, although reluctantly, the boys moved allowing Hermione to step between them. She slowly made her way to Charlie, sniffing him and instinctively checking him out. She done the same thing to the other wizard next to her friend, and once she was completely satisfied she smiled warmly.

"Hello Charlie how are you?"

He grinned, making detailed notes of everything he had just witnessed before stepping towards her, slowly and respectfully. She was after all a vampire.

"I'm doing great. You can't believe how excited we've all been waiting for your arrival. Although it's late and nearly everyone is already in bed." He pulled out his wand and smiled before saying, "I'm just going to let you three into the wards so that you can come in." With a swish and a flick, he beckoned the two male vampires forward.

As soon as they stepped through the boundaries of the wards, both sets of mouths opened wide at the sight. They gazed around in wonder not believing that the crumbling wall had now turned into this.

"Amazing." Demetri beamed, completely impressed and enraptured by the powerful magic.

"It is." Felix agreed.

Charlie clapped his hands once suddenly, pulling them out of their trance, a small happy smile on his own face.

"Ok let's get inside and get you all comfortable. You can tell me all about your travels and then I must leave for bed. Not all of us can stay up all night like you can." He said, with a small amount of jealousy. "Tomorrow when the whole team is assembled I will give you the guided tour and if you want, you can meet our dragons."

Demetri looked somewhat uncomfortable with that. He wasn't sure if he was quite up to the task of seeing them yet.

"Oh and this is Phil by the way. He is my partner here at the sanctuary and is also my life partner." He said taking the other wizards hand in his and smiling affectionately at him, which Phil reciprocated.

Hermione beamed at Charlie and giggled.

"So Rita Skeeter was right then eh." She joked, knowing that the disgusting vile woman had speculated about Charlie's love life in her column. Charlie simply rolled his eyes and sighed at her, though the smile couldn't be wiped from his face. "Ah well I'm pleased for you. It's nice to see you Phil." She said with a genuine smile.

"It's nice to meet you too Mione. Charlie has told me a lot about you and I have to say it's such an honour to meet you, all three of you in fact. I'm incredibly excited, so please forgive me, as I have never met a vampire before."

She laughed at him and patted his arm.

"Don't worry we don't bite." She teased. "These two strapping men are my friends Demetri also known as stud, and Felix also known as Hercules." She said laughing at Charlie and Phil's curious expressions. "It's a long story, one we'll explain soon enough." Hermione said with a knowing smile.

"It's nice to meet you Phil and Charlie." Felix said.

"Yes and don't let my little witchling fool you. Her name is also wench." He said with a mischievous gleam in his bright red eyes. Hermione grinned hitting him across the arm playfully, while Charlie broke out in laughter.

"I see some things never change then Mione." He teased, referring to her days as a Hogwarts student.

She sighed then said,

"What is this pick on Hermione day?" She laughed.

"Speaking of you, what's with the hobbling?" Charlie asked pointing to her injured foot with concern.

She sighed again then said,

"All will be revealed soon enough."

With that the three vampires and two wizards made their way into a large open spaced living area, with several couches and chairs, and two large dining tables. There was a roaring fire burning and several lamps were lit. There were hundreds of books lining the walls, and Hermione felt instantly compelled to go over and peruse them, but somehow managed to refrain herself.

Instead she moved over and sat on one of the couches next to Felix and Demetri, with the former, picking up her legs to drape over his lap, so that she could rest her still healing foot.

Once they were settled Charlie conjured up a tea set for him and Phil, and listened as the three vampires told them all about their travels. He couldn't believe that the Hermione who sat in front of him now, was the same small girl with big bushy hair and buck teeth that he remembered back when she was 12.

She had grown up to be a very elegant and accomplished witch, and she was even more startling as a vampire. He was incredibly excited to have her here, for however long she needed, not only to catch up with her properly, but also to study her.

He never once thought he would be given the opportunity to be this close to not only one but three vampires, never mind being able to study them. But Hermione herself was also truly fascinating because she still contained her magical abilities as well as new vampire skills.

Since he had heard about her, he had studied and read as much as he could trying to find out if there had been anyone else like her before, but there was no information out there. She was one of a kind and so unique to both of their worlds, that he was both honoured and privileged to have her here now.

Once they had told the two wizards about their travels and everything that happened, the wizard made sure that their guests were comfortable and told them which areas they could go into and which areas were heavily warded and forbidden.

They excused themselves and made arrangements to meet the three vampires at 6am, which was in seven hours' time. With that they left their guests and headed to their living quarters, but before either went to bed, Charlie quickly wrote down a letter to Albus Dumbledore, telling the powerful wizard about everything he had heard with regards to the three vampires. He sent it off with Albert his eagle then went to bed beside his lover.

The next again day was going to be busy and he was excited to have a little more interaction with his new vampire friends. They would also get the chance to meet the rest of the team, get a tour around the sanctuary and maybe even meet the dragons who were in their care. To say he was looking forward to morning was an understatement, he was completely giddy with happiness and excitement. Until tomorrow, he thought, before eventually succumbing to sleep.

 **Just in case you are wondering, the reason why I haven't made Hermione an excellent fighter just yet, despite the fact she is powerful, is because I find that unrealistic. With time and experience her skills will improve, her magic will improve and she will be a stronger person. Just now she is still learning and developing. I hope this makes sense lol. Anyway thank you for reading. Xx**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

The trio of vampires had now been staying at the Dragon Sanctuary for just over six weeks, with only a week and a half left to go, until they had to return back to Volterra and prepare themselves for the upcoming battle.

During that time, they had been out spying on the Romanian vampires, finding out what they were doing and how they were able to build such a large army quickly. It turned out they were turning normal humans who were destitute and living on the streets into newborn vampires. They were getting away with it because these were people who would not be missed and whose disappearance did not draw any attention to local authorities.

There was no pattern to who was turned, except for the fact that the people were homeless. The Romanian coven didn't care about the age or sex of the people they turned, and unlike the Volturi didn't seem to mind whether they had vampire powers or not. It appeared that their main focus was on the sheer number of vampires they had. A newborn army was powerful, as they were stronger than a vampire who had been turned for years. Even Hermione now, was no longer as physically strong as the newborn she first was, which was why her fighting skills now lacked and she was hurt in the last fight. Her punches and hits didn't do the same amount of damage as they once did as a newborn, which meant she had to fight harder and practice more.

They also found out that they were keeping these newborn vampires away from civilisation and training them in a thick Romanian forest called the Hoia-Baciu forest. This seemed the perfect location to keep an army of vampires, as Charlie quickly explained to the trio that this forest was supposed to be the most haunted forest in the world. People had been reporting for years now, how it felt like they were being watched, but no-one was there, how strange forms and lights had appeared then suddenly disappeared, and then there was the fact that thousands of people had been reported missing from this area over the years. It seemed that the Romanian coven had been using this forest to feed for years, after the Volturi had taken power and control from them.

The Romanian coven never cared whether the humans knew about them or not in the past, but after the Volturi came to power and set up laws, the Romanian coven hid away. They still to this day didn't care whether the humans knew of them or not, which was why they didn't seem to mind the attention their actions in the Hoia-Baciu forest was attracting.

They were careful in the fact that although they were teetering on law breaking and could suffer the wrath of the Volturi, they were also still within the law. Their actions had drawn attention, but they hadn't exposed themselves, so the humans didn't know that it was vampires who were lurking in the woods, and as long as it stayed that way no actual law was broken, therefore the Volturi could do nothing.

The trio had left to go to the Hoia-Baciu forest to see everything for themselves, and they were glad to have Hermione's magic protecting them. Hundreds of newborn vampires stayed in the forest, they were practicing fighting, they looked angry and aggressive and ready for drawing blood at any moment.

The vampires who seemed to control the camps and individual groups of newborns were merciless and barbaric. Unlike Caius and Felix who had helped train Hermione in fighting, who were supportive, patient and encouraging to her. These vampires were brutal. They shouted at the newborn vampires, they whipped them and attacked them when they didn't do well, and those who were deemed as being weak and pathetic, were told to run before their former group set on them, which only ended in their death.

It was disgusting, these newborns were trained killers and simply a means to an end. And those who were training them took enjoyment from the pain and torture they were inflicting.

The trio investigated every part of the forest and it wasn't until they reached a large clearing, right in the deepest part of the forest where no humans would dare go, that Hermione recognised it from her vision. This was where the battle would take place. Right here in the Hoia-Baciu forest. Away from humans, away from sight, and away from where the two enemy covens lived.

She had seen two very different images of this place however. The first was the Volturi marching through the thick trees to reach the middle where the Romanians stood waiting before the battle commenced. And the second image was of her surrounded by death and a circle of fire dying.

She didn't tell the two vampires or Charlie about the second vision she had, for they didn't need to know that, but she did tell them that this was the place she had seen the fight take place. It made sense in a way that it would be here. Perfect camouflage away from human eyes and also the fact that the Romanians were luring their enemy here for the slaughter.

During the trio's time out investigating they never once heard any information about the Romanian coven's secret weapon, which could mean two possible things, either that it truly was a secret or it wasn't real. The trio hoped it was the latter.

They also never heard much information on the new male vampire. The only thing that they did hear about him was that he had joined Vladimir and Stefan as the three leaders of the Romanian coven, just like the three leaders of the Volturi.

According to Felix and Demetri, Vladimir and Stefan had no special vampire powers but their thirst to end the Volturi once and for all rivalled everyone else's, since they were the sole survivors of the last War they had with the Volturi. It was this fierce drive that made them leaders of the new coven, so it made the trio wonder what this new vampire had; to make him a leader. It seemed to the trio that the more information that they gathered, the more unanswered questions there were, leaving them feeling annoyed and frustrated.

When the trio were not out gathering information they spent all their time either hunting or in the Dragon Sanctuary with Charlie. Hermione had now fully healed meaning she was no longer babysat like she was. Charlie found it fascinating that she was a sort of vegetarian vampire, who refused to drink the blood of a human, and instead chose animal blood. He had never heard of any vampires like that before and was even more stunned when Hermione told him that she wasn't the only one out there to do that. He was more curious about the trio than before, and Hermione even let him watch as she hunted in the woods nearby. The two male vampires even offered to let him watch them, but that was just something Charlie couldn't stomach to see. So instead they just described the hunt to him in detail.

He wondered why some vampires choose to drink human blood while others opted to drink animal blood instead, and wondered if it was due to the fact that some kept a little more humanity than others. Or perhaps it was down to the length a person had been changed for. It was both curious and fascinating and he enjoyed learning all of this from the trio.

Felix and Demetri were just as curious to learn all about the magical world, as Charlie was to learn about them. Since arriving at the Dragon Sanctuary, Felix especially was eager to learn and see the dragons.

The morning after they had first arrived, Charlie and Phil met the trio at exactly 6am, the time that they had said the previous evening. They told the trio all about the Dragon Sanctuary and what they did there and all about the rest of the team who worked there as well.

"So Charlie what exactly is it that you're called. I mean I always just assumed you were like a dragon tamer." Hermione had asked her friend.

Charlie laughed and sat back against the soft chair looking relaxed despite the fact he was in the presence of three blood thirsty vampires, well two if you didn't include Hermione since technically she was vegetarian.

"Close Mione but not quite. In our world we are magizoologists, which is someone who studies magical creatures. Most of us here try to study all magical creatures but we are all specially trained in dragons, making us dragonologists." He smiled smugly and said, "We study dragons, we heal them and look after those who are injured, young or old. We cannot train a fully grown adult dragon, as they are independent and set in their ways, but we can train dragons after they are hatched. It takes time and a lot of patience as like most animals out there, dragons can be unpredictable and dangerous."

Hermione nodded her head in understanding then smiled thoughtfully as she said,

"Like Norberta."

Immediately understanding her hidden question Charlie smiled and nodded his head.

"Yup just like Norberta. I told you that we had three dragons here living in the sanctuary, well that isn't exactly true." Charlie said looking sheepish. "We actually have three wild untamed dragons here, but we also have five tamed dragons that we use to fly on and study up close."

Felix looked incredibly excited at Charlie's words, while Demetri looked panic stricken and as if he was about to vomit at any moment.

"Could we ride a dragon?" Felix asked excitedly.

"What!" Demetri exclaimed looking at his mate in shock. "Absolutely not, I will not ride a dragon and I will not allow my mate to either." He said folding his arms in dismay.

Felix looked at him and frowned.

"I think I can decide for myself if I want to ride a dragon or not." Felix replied rather huffily.

"Fine but if you are hurt or worse, don't come bubbling to me?" Demetri turned his head away from Felix, not wanting to look at him for the moment.

Hermione listened to the lover's tiff going on and tried so hard not to giggle at them, but failed. How she loved those two boys she mused.

Charlie also failed to hide his amusement, as he looked curiously to his own partner. They had heard Demetri's words and wondered what exactly he meant when he used the term 'mate'.

"Actually I'm afraid you won't get to ride them. We don't know how they will react to you, since you know you're a vampire and all that. Also we have spent years training them, and they only allow their trainer to fly them. It's a respect and trust thing, so don't take it personally." He looked between Felix's disappointed expression to Demetri's smug yet relieved look then said, "We can let you see them however, since they are in their own magical enclosures and won't pose a danger to you." At that news Felix immediately perked up. He was like a little boy who had just learned about Santa and Christmas. Charlie once again spoke, not knowing if he was about to cross a line or not, but he had to know. "Pardon me for being so forward but when you said that you two are mates, did you mean mates as in friends or mates as in bonded lovers?" He pointed to Demetri then to Felix and raised his eyebrow at them questioningly.

The two vampires' stiffened, as they realised Demetri's slip of the tongue. The only person who knew about them being mates was Hermione, Aro did as well unknown to Felix however, and here they were telling a complete stranger.

Luckily for them it was Hermione who spoke up first.

"Charlie please you cannot tell anyone. I am the only one who knows about this."

Charlie put up his hands and smiled.

"I promise I won't tell anyone; hell I don't have anyone to tell. But this is fascinating and wonderful." He looked at the two male vampires and smiled in awe and excitement. "Throughout the years everyone has just believed that mates can only be a male and female, and you two have just proved them all wrong." He looked up at his own life partner and smiled, before squeezing his hand affectionately. "It's wonderful to know that."

What Charlie said was the truth, he knew all about the mating bonds for werewolves and vampires, and knew how powerful it was. Every story documented about bonded mates however, always referred to male and female mates. Never once had same sex mates ever been heard off. So it made him wonder how many bonded mates of the same sex were out there, as this couldn't have been the only case.

By the words he used and the tone he spoke to them in, the two male vampires visibly relaxed, at the wizard who was so accepting of their relationship.

"Yes well it came to us as a complete surprise as well when we first felt the mating pull. We both tried to resist it at the beginning, since like you said we were both males, and it was unusual. But soon the pull became too much. But here we are now." Felix said, with a small smile to his mate.

Felix and Demetri were not an affectionate couple in public, because they had spent so much time keeping their relationship a secret from the other coven members. They only ever showed affection to each other in the safety of their own quarters or in front of Hermione, who didn't seem to mind. But seeing the two wizards openly show their relationship with each other off, made them crave that openness more.

Hearing Charlie's words now made them feel more at ease, as Charlie and Phil knew a little of how Felix and Demetri felt, as they were two men in love as well.

This seemed to be a place that was more accepting and tolerant towards a same sex relationship, than perhaps the Volturi coven would be. Although if they were honest neither of them had ever tried to broach the subject with the other coven members before. They just simply assumed that's how it would be.

"It truly is extraordinary that two males can have the mating bond. It's simply wonderful." Phil said with a genuine smile on his face.

"Perhaps we can document the mating pull from your perspective if that's alright. We won't mention you names but we will have to say that you're a vampire." Charlie said sounding hopeful.

Felix and Demetri looked at each other for a moment then nodded their heads in unison, as if they were each answering an unspoken question. They turned to the excited wizard, before giving him a small smile in return.

"I think we could do that. After all you did agree to take us in." Felix replied. "And you've said we could see the dragons." He added with a huge grin, causing Hermione to roll her eyes playfully. Dragons seemed to be the big burly vampire's new obsession.

Charlie's face turned almost as red as his hair as he beamed warmly at the two vampires. This was much better than he could have possibly hoped for. He got to study a vampire witch and a mated pair of males, both subjects that had never been heard of before. He was indeed a very happy wizard.

"Excellent." He replied.

After that the trio of vampires got to meet the rest of the team, who were all excited and a little afraid of meeting them. They had all heard the usual horror stories involving vampires, but the three that greeted them now, were completely different to anything that they had heard of before.

The three vampires were controlled in human company, were polite and good conversationalists, and just seemed like normal people. It was truly amazing.

In return the trio got to know all about the other people who lived and worked at the sanctuary. Alongside Charlie and Phil, there was Clara, a small blonde thin woman, who was bubbly and accident prone, and who reminded Hermione a lot of Dora. She dealt with the day to day running of the sanctuary, as they all did, and helped settle in new dragons. She was also a dragon trainer and looked after Firefly, a Common Welsh Green. Clara had been studying, training and looking after Firefly since she had hatched.

Then there was Damon. He was tall, lanky with thick glasses and shoulder length brown hair that he had tied back. He was wary of the three vampires and seemed like a nervous guy at the best of times. But there was a power about him, which was probably a good thing since he worked with dragons. Like Clara he done everyday tasks but had also been looking after Godric, who was a Chinese Fireball. He had obviously been in Gryffindor house at Hogwarts because this dragon was also known as the 'Lion Dragon'. That and his name was Godric.

Then there was Zac, who was incredibly good looking with cropped black hair, big bulging biceps covered in tattoos. He had a cheeky 'woman love me' kind of smile and two adorable dimples. Clara kept looking at him while batting her eyelashes, but he didn't seem to notice. Along with helping out at the sanctuary, he also looked after Sven, a Sweedish Short-Snout dragon.

Along with Charlie who looked after Norberta, a Norwegian Ridgeback and Phil, the more experienced leader of the team, who looked after Albatross, a Peruvian Vipertooth, the only poisonous dragon in existence. They were the five dragon trainers of the team. Adalyn, Riley, Raine, Caleb and Finn, also worked in the sanctuary dealing with the day to day running of it, although none of them had a dragon to look after.

The whole team were friendly and curious, except for Raine who seemed to instantly distrust the trio of vampires. Hermione thought it could be out of fear more than anything else, and hoped to change the female witches mind.

Once they had all met the trio, the team of dragonologists left them to go and see to the sanctuary and to see to their dragons. Charlie was free for the moment, as he didn't go to Norberta until later and wasn't needed to help with anything at the moment, so was able to show the trio around the facility.

"How big is this place?" Hermione asked while he led them through the office building into what looked like a large open space surrounded by mountains and forests.

Charlie closed the doors behind them and bolted them shut, before turning to look at the trio, an excited smile on his pale face.

"Put it this way, you could easily fit about fifty Quidditch fields in here."

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise at that, before she said,

"Really. How is that even possible?"

Charlie shook his head and grinned at her, before bravely wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"Mione, Mione, Mione I can't believe you've forgotten already." He spread his free arm out indicating the whole area and grinned before exclaiming, "It's magic of course."

Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes, but giggled nonetheless.

"Silly me." She said still chuckling.

Felix and Demetri stood still, while taking in the landscape around them in awe and wonderment. The two had wondered how it could look like this from the inside but totally different from the outside. Magic was truly a wonderful thing.

Felix stepped up to the wizard and said,

"If this place is so open how are we protected from the dragons?" Although he was trying not to show it, the worry could clearly be heard in his voice. Demetri grinned and shook his head, knowing that his mate was all talk. He wanted to be up close and personal with a dragon just as much as he, Demetri, did.

Charlie laughed at the vampire, before letting Hermione go so that he could look at a curious Felix directly.

"Good question my friend." He said with that typical Weasley charm. "The answer is we have very powerful magical wards and spells protecting us. They are like invisible walls that keep them in and us out. The only way for us to cross them, is for the wards to recognise us and a series of complex spells."

"So basically we can see them, and they can see us. But they can't get to us." Felix asked again, the worry still evident in his voice.

"Yup." Charlie grinned pleased with the setup they had going on here. "It's the same with the sky, you can't see it but there's wards up there too, so that the dragons can fly about freely, but not escape. Wouldn't want that now would we." He said with a half-hearted chuckle.

As they continued walking Demetri asked the question Hermione hoped no-one would pick up on and that was,

"What exactly is Quidditch?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Hermione groaned as Charlie went into an excited trance as he explained all about Quidditch to the two male vampires. She still hated the game and that would never change it seemed.

Now that the vampires were put at ease, Charlie took them through the thick forests and over lands, obviously knowing his way about like the back of his hand. Every time they passed an enclosure, he would stop and tell them which dragon lived there and all about that particular species.

They had walked for hours and although they had passed every enclosure, they actually only saw two dragons, as the enclosures were that big and gave them so much space.

"How many dragons could live here?" Hermione asked curiously as they continued walking across the land.

Charlie who was sweating profusely despite using cooling charms, had rolled his sleeves up, smiled before saying,

"Probably about twenty or so. We need to keep the different species all separate in case the larger more dominant ones attack the smaller weaker ones. The same species can live together but it doesn't always work out well. The females tend to be more aggressive than the males, especially when it comes to their eggs. As you well know Mione."

She nodded in understanding as she thought back to her fourth year at Hogwarts when Harry had to get the egg from the female dragon in the Triwizard Tournament. She had never been more pleased to see her friend ride his broom as she was at that time. It had been terrifying to watch. Even now just thinking about it made her shudder.

"This bit of the Sanctuary is where we keep the wild untrained dragons. They are dangerous, so this area has extra wards around it for protection. Wouldn't want them to get loose out here, as they would kill any living thing."

The trio of vampires looked worried as they cautiously stepped over the threshold of the heavy set wards. Only Hermione and Charlie felt the tingling sensation of magic brush across their skin.

"This one here is the Ukrainian Ironbelly, the biggest dragon in existence at 60ft long. He is big and slow but deadly." Charlie turned to Hermione and said, "Apparently one of these is trapped down in the bowels of Gringotts protecting the wealthier vaults." He wore a frown as he said that, obviously not liking the fact a dragon was used in this way. In his eyes dragons shouldn't be chained up and left to rot in the dark, they should be free doing the things that dragons should be doing.

Hermione knew all about that dragon, she had seen it in the first vision she ever had. If things had gone the way they should have and she had never been turned, her, Ron and Harry would have broken into Gringotts Bank looking for the Horcrux in Bellatrix Lestranges vault, then broken out by flying on the back of that dragon. Now that dragon would never be free, and she couldn't help feel slightly responsible for that.

"That's awful." She whispered, unable to look at Charlie in case he saw the guilt in her eyes.

"Isn't it."

After that awkward conversation, they continued on their way until they had reached the second enclosure. In there was an injured Romanian Longhorn. The two long glittering gold horns were used as very expensive potion ingredients. Just like other parts of their bodies. Magical poachers didn't care if dragons died or not as long as they got what they wanted. Although this dragon had almost been killed, thanks to the expert dragonologist team here, he was saved, minus his two horns. Unlike with witches or wizards, there was no potion or spell that could grow these horns back. This dragon would now have to stay here for the remainder of his life, alone, for it was maimed and weak. If any other dragon of the same species was to enter this enclosure it would kill the injured dragon, with no hesitation. That was the way wild dragons worked. It wasn't a vicious thing they did, it was simply their way of looking after and respecting those who couldn't themselves. It was better a quick death than being a target to other species who would hurt them purely for a vicious sport.

Once they had passed the second enclosure, Charlie stopped the trio of vampires abruptly, a more serious expression on his face.

"Now before we go any further I must warn you, in this enclosure is the most dangerous dragon of them all."

Hermione gasped at once remembering the dragon from the Triwizard Tournament.

"The Hungarian Horntail." She whispered, almost as if to herself.

"Yes, the exact same one." Charlie said causing Hermione to shudder again. "She is big, she is bad and she does not like people watching her. But she is magnificent and beautiful." He looked at the trio and said, "I don't know how she will react to the three of you, but every time one of us goes anywhere near her enclosure she starts ramming at the wards and breathing fire. So when, not if, she does that do not panic. She cannot break through our wards."

Felix no longer looked so excited at the prospect of seeing a dragon, whereas Demetri simply looked ill at ease and terrified. Hermione looked nervous, for she had already seen this dragon before and knew exactly what to expect. Or so she thought anyway.

The three vampires followed the wizard cautiously through the thinnest part of the forested enclosure. This particular dragon preferred rocky mountain tops to large dense woods.

Even though they couldn't feel it, the temperature rose almost to an insufferable level and Charlie had to cast several cooling charms on himself in case he passed out. The further they walked, the thinner the trees became until finally they had stepped right into a clearing.

Before them stood a large rocky hill, for it wasn't large enough to be classed as a mountain, and nothing else could be seen. The enclosure appeared to be empty causing both Demetri and Felix to sigh with relief.

Charlie however, never once removed his gaze from a large cave in the middle of the rocky surface of the hill. He had seen this dragon too many times not to know what to expect.

"It appears this dragon does not want to come and play today." Demetri said with a relaxed smile.

"Just wait." Charlie said, more in warning.

All four stood watching the same spot, and thanks to their enhanced sight and hearing, all three vampires stiffened immediately when they heard the sound of stone being crushed. A shadow flickered across the cave at the side of the hill, before suddenly the shadow took a form of a lizard like dragon.

Her scales were as black as the night sky, and even from this distance they could see the vibrant yellow of her eyes, with small black snake like slits. Her head moved from one side of her enclosure to the next, as if she was checking her surroundings. She must have sensed the four people watching her, because she sniffed the air loudly before her head moved quickly towards them.

All at once she let out a loud yowling roar, at the same time as she spread her wings, before flying towards them. Flames were spat out from her mouth, flicking close to where they were as steam poured from her nostrils.

Felix and Demetri instantly took a step back in fear, not sure how they were supposed to be kept safe from such a monster. While Charlie simply marvelled at her. She was beautiful after all. Deadly but very beautiful nonetheless.

Hermione stood rooted to the spot, not feeling the fear she was sure would have coursed through her. Instead she couldn't help but admire the majestic animal as she flew towards them, a great giant black shadow with piercing yellow eyes. For some reason she couldn't look away from her, feeling utterly compelled to watch as she drew closer.

She landed with an elegant thump, stopping not far in front of them as she screeched and yowled at them angrily, all the while flapping her wings at them in warning. The minute she was on all four legs, her body moved quickly and agilely towards them as she spat fire and roared.

Both Demetri and Felix took more terrified steps backwards, despite the fact that an invisible wall seemed to be blocking the fire from them.

The dragon rammed into the wards several times, even though whatever invisible shield there was kept bouncing her back off. The flames continued being spat out at them and the steam poured from her nostrils.

Her build was slim yet powerful with strong muscles. Now that she was closer, Hermione could see the bronze horns surrounding her head like some crown, they seemed to go all the way down her back to the end of her tail, which she used to thump against the wards, trying to hit and kill the four people watching her.

Every single part of the female dragon screamed, angry vicious monster, but to Hermione she was the most beautiful creature she had ever seen, minus Dante of course. Not knowing why, she took a step towards the wards, not wanting to get too close in case it repelled her back as well, before slowly bringing her hand up towards it. If she could have put her hand through the wards she would have, only to get a touch of those glorious dark scales.

"Beautiful isn't she." Charlie said from beside her, but she never heard him.

The moment he spoke the dragon whipped her head around to look at him, but she got Hermione instead. All at once the female stopped moving and stood still as she looked first at Hermione's outstretched hand, then moved her yellow eyes to gaze into Hermione's.

The minute she did, Hermione could feel a tingling sensation run across her body as she again stepped closer and closer, her hand still outstretched.

"Hermione." Charlie roared as he tried to grab her backwards but was instantly flung back by the wards. The tingling sensation Hermione had felt was the wards slipping over her body as she was brought into the enclosure with the fierce dragon.

"What's happening why can't you get her?" Demetri asked, helping the wizard to his feet, completely panic stricken by what was going on.

Charlie quickly pulled out his wand and sent a frantic patronus to the rest of his team. The distance between here and the other enclosures was miles and it would normally have taken them hours to get here. There were anti-apparition wards up so that the noise from apparating wouldn't startle the dragons, who had incredibly sensitive hearing. In emergencies like this however, Phil could cancel those wards but it would take him at least twenty minutes, twenty minutes that they didn't have.

Hermione, unaware of the danger she was in, kept walking closer to the dragon, her hand no longer outstretched, but by her side. The dragon had reared up, standing on her hind legs, her yellow eyes never once leaving Hermione's.

"You are stunning" Hermione whispered in awe, stopping mere meters in front of the black dragon. At her words the dragon tilted her head to the side, watching her as if she could understand every word Hermione was saying. "We've met before and I remember you vividly, but you won't know me. I was there when you came to a big castle and chased a young boy on a broom who tried to steal your egg." Again at her words the dragon turned her head to the side and yowled in anger, the fire spitting from her mouth in obvious fury. Hermione knew she should be scared but for some reason she wasn't. She smiled at the dragon then said, "Yes I can understand your anger, I would have been angry too having to do that. Treating you like a beast when you're not."

The dragon turned her yellow eyes onto Hermione once more and made a humph noise, as if she agreed with her statement.

"You truly are beautiful." She said letting her eyes trail over the black body before her.

The dragon fell down to all four legs and took a step towards Hermione, her yellow eyes never once leaving the interesting non-human female. She could understand every word the non-human said and admired her bravery and respectful behaviour.

When she felt she was close enough, the female dragon stopped inches away from the non-human and sniffed her. She could feel the non-humans' magic surrounding her, she was incredibly powerful but had not quite reached her full potential yet. She had a beating heart, but it was not like the red headed wizards heart. The other two male companions had no beating hearts, and she didn't like that at all. The non-human female could be dangerous, and yet she did not appear to be threatening towards her. There was something about the non-human, something that pleased her immensely. She felt like they were kindred spirits of sorts. And so with that, she made up her mind. She bowed her head to the non-human out of mutual respect before looking back up to her.

Hermione watched in awe and fascination as the dragon drank in the sight of her. She had read books saying that dragons were not intelligent creatures, and that they were simply vicious monsters who only wanted to kill and attack. And yet here she was now, standing in front of the most dangerous dragon species there was, as it bowed to her in respect.

This action reminded her so much of that time in Hagrid's class when they first met Buckbeak the hippogriff. They were incredibly proud creatures and the only way to get near one was to bow down to it and gain its respect and trust. If it felt insulted or threatened, it would lash out.

That's what happened with Harry and Draco anyway. Harry had shown Buckbeak respect and was able to pet and even fly him. Whereas Draco insulted him and tried to touch him without first gaining his respect, therefore earning Draco a scratched arm. It seemed that some dragons were no different. This one certainly wasn't.

So to gain the Hungarian Horntails respect, she bent down slowly at the waist and bowed low, only standing up when she heard the appreciative humph and hot air rifling past her hair.

Standing up she smiled at the dragon again then said,

"May I touch you?"

The dragon looked at Hermione through piercing yellow eyes before humphing. Taking that as a yes Hermione stretched out her hand once more, which terrified Charlie in the process.

Feeling impatient the dragon moved the rest of the way until her head was grazing the non-human's hand. Hermione was tentative at first, realising for the first time at just what exactly she was doing. But still she felt no fear, in fact she felt at peace.

She got more confident in her movements as her hands slid over the dragon's head, face, and side. It was far too big for her to reach anymore of her black scaly body and she didn't want to chance her luck either.

"Beautiful." Hermione said in awe.

The dragon seemed to be enjoying the moment, just as much as Hermione was as she began keening into her touch, causing Hermione to smile in delight.

All at once however, the moment was over, as several loud cracks could be heard.

Startled the dragon reared back in fright, standing tall and imposing on her hind legs, as she spat angry fire towards the ones who dared interrupt her and her non-human. She barely missed Hermione as she used her vampire speed to move quickly out of the path of the flames. Her long tail whipped out from behind her, trying to smack the wards but instead she almost hit Hermione. Having dodged the dragon's' tail, she ducked and rolled back in front of the dragon and took a step forward.

"Easy, easy beautiful." Hermione said, her voice soothing as she held out her hands to the dragon.

Yellow eyes turned to her the minute she spoke and all at once she relaxed. Nuzzling her head into the female non-human, who luckily for her, was strong and powerful enough not to fall backwards at the simple gesture.

Hermione laughed and ran both her hands across the smooth black scales.

"You know we really should pick a name for you. Despite how beautiful I think you are, we can't keep calling you that."

The dragon made a puffing sound in agreement causing Hermione to chuckle.

"Ok stop me when you hear the one you like. Ida." The dragon huffed in indignation at that name. "Hmm no, ok how about Rowena." Again she made the same noise. She rhymed off some more and every name she came up with had so far been rejected by the dragon. "You are incredibly hard to please beautiful." Hermione whispered with a soft sigh. She paused for a moment then said "Alright how about Nafeesa then, it means valuable or precious one."

The dragon paused briefly, as if she was thinking it over, then let out a happy yowling noise, causing Hermione to laugh happily. "You like that then Nafeesa." She said trying the name out properly for the first time. "Good I'm glad. I get the feeling that you are going to be very precious to me."

A forked tongue suddenly flicked out from between Nafeesa's mouth, as she licked Hermione's face in delight.

"Good to see you agree." She chuckled again.

Suddenly remembering where she was, Hermione turned to look out of the enclosure at Felix and Demetri who stood with obvious tension, and Charlie and his team who stood in stunned silence, simply watching.

"Those group of people are my friends." Hermione said turning back to Nafeesa. "I think since I came in here, they have been pretty worried for me. So if you don't mind I will leave and return to them." Nafeesa shook her head, as if she was saying no then let out a small yowl of protest. "I will come back Nafeesa I promise." She said soothingly. Relenting Nafeesa gave Hermione one last lick with her forked tongue, before she backed away and watched as her non-human returned back through the wards to the silent group.

She stood to her full height and spread her wings, before letting out a loud happy yowl, before flying back to her cave. She now had a friend in her non-human, a friend who she knew would be special to her.

"What the hell just happened?" Phil asked, his voice sounding a mixture between angry, terrified and giddy delight.

"I second that?" Charlie said, looking over his friend with even more respect than before.

"I have no idea; it was like my magic wanted to be with her. It was weird but wonderful. Oh and by the way her name is Nafeesa. She was incredibly picky there when it came to choosing a name." Hermione said with a small chuckle.

"She choose a name?" Charlie said with a frown.

"Yes, I went through about twenty before she liked that one. It means valuable or precious one." Hermione said with a smile.

"I can't believe you actually went into an enclosure with a Hungarian Horntail and lived to tell the story. Unbelievable." Phil said in amazement.

"I promised I would come back and see her again. I don't think she wanted me to leave."

"Absolutely not." Demetri suddenly piped up. "Hermione, I promised Aro that I would protect you and I plan on keeping that promise. But so far you have been injured in a fight and have stood next to a very dangerous dragon. How am I supposed to keep my promise when you keep doing things like that?" He asked, sounding somewhat exasperated.

At his words Hermione didn't know whether to be angry or happy that Aro had gotten Demetri to promise him that. It felt almost as if he didn't think she could cope but at the same time showed that he cared.

"Demetri I am capable of protecting myself thank you." She replied, sounding somewhat tense.

"Oh I can see that my little witchling." Demetri replied sarcastically.

Felix put a gentle hand on Demetri's arm, as he tried to calm his mate down.

"Demetri we all saw how the dragon reacted to her, somehow I don't think she will be hurt."

"Still." Demetri said with a resigned sigh. "I promised Aro. Can you imagine what he's going to do to me when he finds out about this?"

Hermione walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him affectionately.

"He won't need to know because nothing's going to happen to me; I swear." She promised, knowing that what she was saying was the truth. Nafeesa wouldn't hurt her, she didn't know how she knew that, she just knew that she did.

The group had left seeing that there was no imminent danger or threat happening, leaving the trio with Charlie and Phil, who had been listening to the vampires' conversation.

"Erm who's Aro?" Charlie asked curiously.

"The Volturi leader."

"Hermione's mate." Hermione and Demetri said at the same time.

Charlie looked at Hermione, grinning from ear to ear as he said,

"Oh right keeping secrets from me now are we Mione, why don't you tell old Charlie boy who Aro is exactly." He said, slinging his arm around her shoulder and causing her to groan, as they made their way back to the offices and quarters of the dragonologist team.

Hermione did keep her promise to Nafeesa, every day, when she wasn't hunting, spying or talking to Charlie, she spent all of her free time with Nafeesa getting to know her better.

The more time she spent with her, the more she realised they were familiars in a way, to each other. And soon a bond of trust and respect quickly formed between them. As her confidence grew in Nafeesa's presence the more things they done together. They hunted with one another, since they fed from the same animals, of course Nafeesa would also finish off the carcass Hermione left behind. Hermione even flew beside Nafeesa, who had been incredibly excited by this. She had never seen a human or a non-human fly before like her non-human could.

After spending so much time with one another, they began to understand each other better, as they explored new things together. Hermione had even persuaded Nafeesa that her friends were safe and loyal, and she explained to them how to gain Nafeesa's trust and respect.

Only Charlie agreed to meet Nafeesa, as the others were still wary about being near a Hungarian Horntail. He had never been more excited to touch a dragon than he was when he first clapped Nafeesa. It was like a dream come true for him. He even got time to study the vampire and the dragons' behaviour towards each other, and wrote down all the new information Hermione found out about the dragon for him as well. It seemed that they were all going through quite a learning journey together, and it was amazing to behold.

Despite their close bond, there was still one thing Hermione and Nafeesa had yet to do together, and after being at the Sanctuary for over six weeks, she finally felt able to tackle this one thing. She just wondered if Nafeesa would agree to it, she did have her pride after all.

Every night Charlie wrote everything he had learned about Hermione in a letter to Albus Dumbledore, keeping him informed about where the battle was going to take place, and more recently about her bond with Nafeesa and also the news about her being the mate of the Volturi leader. He did feel guilty about breaking his friends trust, but at the same time knew it must be important if Dumbledore needed to know about it.

He just hoped that when Hermione found out about his betrayal, she would forgive him for it and know that he was only doing it for her own good.


	25. Chapter 25

**This chapter comes with a very big WARNING as it contains mentions of abuse, rape, torture of underage girls. So please if you are offended don't read it.**

 **Chapter Twenty-Five**

The six weeks Hermione had spent with Nafeesa were both amazing and frustrating to say the least. And the words Charlie had spoken when describing training a dragon, when he said 'it takes time and a lot of patience as like most animals out there dragons can be unpredictable and dangerous' were completely true.

Even though Hermione and Nafeesa had bonded on that first day, it didn't mean things would go smoothly between them. Since finding Hermione, Nafeesa seemed less angry and dangerous and appeared more playful in nature. And despite this new side to her however, people around her couldn't forget that she was still a dangerous fire breathing dragon.

She did not seem to like Felix and Demetri at all, who couldn't go anywhere near her, not that they really wanted to. And out of all the staff who worked at the Dragon Sanctuary it was only Charlie, thanks to Hermione, who she let near her. So all the other staff had to stay outside the wards to her enclosure, unless they wanted to die a very painful death.

Every day the wards to Nafeesa's enclosure allowed Hermione through, without her even having to do anything. It was like her magic and the power of Nafeesa were instantly drawn to one another, combining and overruling the magic of the others that surrounded her.

After that first day Nafeesa had been in a slight strop with Hermione as she felt her non-human had taken too long to come back to her, and she was letting her know she wasn't happy about that.

With much soothing however, by words and touches, Nafeesa soon forgave Hermione and that's when the dragon soon unleashed her playful side. Every time Hermione spent time with Nafeesa, Charlie, Felix, Demetri and any other curious members of staff sat outside and watched the two interacting with one another, all while the dragonologists took notes and pictures.

For years' people believed dragons were unintelligent creatures, who were dangerous and aggressive and only wanted to kill. They believed that they were cold creatures who had no emotions or feelings. But anyone watching Hermione and Nafeesa together could see that wasn't true.

The way Nafeesa had huffed at Hermione, showed that she had feelings because at that point she was feeling annoyed. But the way Hermione had soothed her so easily, showed that not only did Nafeesa understand but she was also capable of forgiving, as well as show other emotions. Never had any of the dragonologists ever seen such a thing happen before, especially when Hermione had no training whatsoever and had never seen Nafeesa in any way, other than that short time during the Triwizard Tournament. It seemed like Hermione had done what had taken the dragonologists years of training to do, in only a mere day if that.

After spending more time with each other Hermione quickly realised that Nafeesa could not be trained like the other dragons had been. She was her own independent dragon who had a mind of her own and done what she wanted, when she wanted.

Every time Hermione instructed Nafeesa to do something, the dragon would turn her back on her and go and do something else, or sometimes she would even stick her forked tongue out and just blatantly ignore her non-human. When she wasn't in a particular good mood, Nafeesa spat fire towards those who were behind the safety of the wards. She always seemed to know where Hermione was and avoided spitting flames in her direction, almost as if she knew how dangerous fire was for her non-human.

And so Hermione quickly learned not to treat Nafeesa like some kind of pet, but as a sort of equal. Instead of telling Nafeesa to do something, she spoke and asked if she wanted to do it. If Nafeesa didn't want to do anything, Hermione respected that and didn't push.

This only enhanced the bond between them further as trust, respect and a partnership formed between them both. Nafeesa was Hermione's familiar, something sacred in the magical world. But because Hermione was both a vampire and a witch, it meant that she was also Nafeesa's familiar. There was no master and pet relationship between them, they were equals, they were partners and they were friends.

It was because of the equal relationship that they had, that they were able to hunt and fly together. Hermione was able to do things, due to her vampire speed and strength, that others couldn't and this appealed to Nafeesa, making them see some similarities between them both.

So today after six weeks of bonding, Hermione wanted to try something new with Nafeesa, something that would need a lot of trust from both sides for it to be successful. And that was to see if Nafeesa would allow her to fly on her back, for her to possibly become her rider.

Charlie had pre-warned Hermione not to get her hopes up too much, and told her that not every dragonologist got to become a dragonrider. Even though there were five of them at this sanctuary, dragonriders were now rare in the magical world. He also reminded Hermione of how prideful Nafeesa was, and how this might prevent her from achieving her goal.

Phil also went on to explain the history of dragonriders to Hermione, and of course while he was telling her all of the stories that he had heard throughout the years, she sat completely enthralled by them. He even gave her a couple of books to read about the old ways, which didn't take her long to devour.

Now Hermione knew that years ago special tribes of wizards, and sometimes on rarer occasions witches, got dragon eggs passed down in their families. Once hatched, the dragon would bond with one of the members of that family and become what was known as a dragonrider. They were a powerful force that worked on the side of light, but on the odd occasion a dark duo of rider and dragon would emerge.

Hundreds of years ago a dark rider, who proclaimed himself as King of the Dragons, had the biggest fearsome dragon at that time, and used his strength and power to gain control of all the other dragons, becoming what was known as the alpha. With this power he killed all the dragonriders, and used his dragon fleet to kill innocents and ruin villages. So families of the lost riders built a powerful and great army, killing the alpha dragon as well as the King. Once the terrible and bloody battle had ended in their deaths, the power over the dragons was lost. Any dragon that was still alive, was also killed eventually in fear of the same thing happening again. This battle caused the dragons to nearly become extinct and dragon riding became a lost tradition. One that started again only a few years ago when the three large sanctuaries were built. Dragonriders were so few and far between now. Which was why Charlie told Hermione to be careful and to not get her hopes up.

It was also because of the battle that they found out that parts of a dragon, such as blood, heart, and scales could be used in potion making and wand making.

That morning when she entered into the enclosure, she arrived on her own, knowing that Nafeesa wouldn't be pleased if there was an audience watching them. This was something that, if it were to happen, would need to be just between the two of them. Something private and sacred to strengthen their bond.

The moment Hermione had walked through the wards Nafeesa instantly recognised her friend and flew straight towards her, stopping only mere feet away. She looked over her non-human with yellow intelligent eyes, before her long forked tongue licked Hermione's face.

She laughed before closing the gap and nuzzling her head against Nafeesa's strong scaly black skin. She truly was a magnificent creature and Hermione couldn't stop being in awe of her new friend.

"Good morning to you too." She smiled before letting Nafeesa go. "I thought we could do some hunting this morning." Hermione said. For some reason she felt nervous about asking Nafeesa to let her fly on her back. Normally that took years for dragonologists to accomplish and she had only been with Nafeesa for six weeks. She enjoyed her friendship with the dragon and didn't want to ruin that, by hurting or insulting Nafeesa's pride. Sighing deeply, she looked straight into the bright yellow eyes of her friend and said, "Actually there was something I wanted to ask you." Nafeesa tilted her head to the side slightly to show that she was listening, as Hermione continued on before her nerves got the better of her. "I know we haven't been friends long but I feel our partnership has progressed so well. We have a wonderful connection that I cherish, believe me. We have done lots of things together but I was wondering, if you would let me sit on your back to fly?" The yellow eyes of Nafeesa seemed to narrow slightly, but other than that she didn't move. "I know we've flown beside each other but that's different. Would you possibly consider letting me become your rider? I promise not to saddle you up like a horse."

Nafeesa stood still and simply stared at Hermione, her yellow eyes narrowing further in either thought or in anger. Not wanting to further insult the intelligent creature, Hermione took a step backwards and bowed her head, in a submissive manner out of respect.

Before she could open her mouth to apologise, Nafeesa snorted smoke out of her flaring nostrils before lurching forward. She quickly grabbed Hermione and tossed her on her scaly back, before taking to the air.

Hermione was momentarily stunned as she realised what had just happened, she had been so sure that Nafeesa was about to refuse her request. She looked over Nafeesa's scaly black skin and noticed how the bronze spikes dotting her spine were absent in the space between her shoulders and her large black wings, allowing her to sit comfortably without being impaled.

In awe Hermione grinned and stroked Nafeesa as she yelled,

"You did it Nafeesa, you're so amazing."

Nafeesa turned her head slightly to look at Hermione and huffed, as if she was agreeing with what her non-human had just said, before turning her gaze back in front of her. She knew about the wards around her enclosure so knew not to fly too close to them normally. But with Hermione on her back and the combination of the power between them, the magic of the wards seemed to melt away, as if they never even existed.

As they flew above all the other enclosures, the dragons that were in them looked up to Nafeesa and her rider, and howled up at them. They stood and watched but could not fly to join them because of the wards. They may have let Nafeesa and her rider through, but that seemed as far as their combined power went.

In return Nafeesa yowled back down to them, the sound sending vibrations down her body, and huffed causing steam to pour from her slitted nostrils. The other dragons, seemingly listening to Nafeesa lay back down where they were but never once removed their piercing gazes from Nafeesa and her rider.

Hermione wasn't entirely sure what was going on, or what that even meant as she was still far too excited and astonished to even care. She was riding a dragon, something she had never thought possible. She stroked Nafeesa again, who straightened her wings out even more, and just seemed to glide through the air at such a fast pace.

Hermione laughed still not believing that she was actually flying a dragon. If she had been her normal human self, she doubted something like this would ever have happened to her. It wasn't the same thing as the vision she had seen, when she saw herself, Harry and Ron fly on the back of the Gringotts Dragon. That had been out of desperation, a need to save themselves and to escape. Things had changed since then. But this situation with Nafeesa, that was different. Nafeesa was her friend, and she had allowed Hermione to fly on her back out of respect, out of friendship, out of trust and out of loyalty.

As a normal human being Hermione had also been terrified of heights back then and wouldn't even fly a broomstick, never mind a 50ft wide dragon. And now look at her. She could fly, she could soar heights without being sick, and now she could fly on the back of a dragon. It was so much more than anything she could have ever imagined happening to her.

Feeling braver than ever before, she moved her body forward slightly and shouted,

"Nafeesa keep steady I'm going to try something."

With that she sat back down in position, before slowly moving to her knees. She pushed both her arms out to the side and steadied herself, before kneeling with one-foot flat in front of her. Once she was steady she pushed herself up slowly, very slowly not wanting to fall, into a standing position.

She laughed with sheer joy, as she held her arms out for balance and shut her eyes letting the wind flow through her curly locks. She couldn't believe what she was doing at the moment, but the adrenaline had kicked in and she found herself enjoying the feelings that were surging through her. Even if she fell off Nafeesa, she knew she would be safe since she had the ability to fly herself. Never before had Hermione ever felt more powerful or more free than she did at that moment. It was liberating.

She wasn't sure how long they flew for, but eventually Nafeesa made the decision to fly back into her enclosure, after all her non-human did promise to hunt with her. The other dragons still watched Nafeesa and her rider, as they soared through the air until she had safely arrived back into her own enclosure. Only then did they let out a howl in unison when they could no longer see her.

Once they were safely back on the ground Hermione jumped off Nafeesa, looking elegant and regal as if she was well practiced in the movement. Her eyes shone with excitement and warmth as she wrapped her arms around her friend and nuzzled her face into her cool black skin. Hermione wasn't so stupid, she realised how rare and precious the gift she had just received from Nafeesa was, and wanted to show her friend just how much it meant to her.

She moved her head back slightly in order to gaze up into those yellow intelligent eyes that were currently shining brightly down at her. It was the only outward sign that Hermione could see that showed Nafeesa was just as happy as what she was, and this pleased Hermione even more.

"Thank you so much for what you have just given me. I have no idea how I can possibly repay you." Hermione whispered in awe at the dragon.

Nafeesa huffed and moved her head quickly to the side several times. As Hermione's gaze followed the movement, she looked over in the direction that Nafeesa was pointing too before a small happy laugh escaped her mouth.

Turning her attention back to Nafeesa she grinned in understanding then said,

"Well I did promise you after all." She chewed her bottom lip for a moment before saying, "Race you." Then flew into the air across the land to where the cattle were kept for Nafeesa to hunt.

She giggled as she turned her head to look behind her, and there following closely by, with her tongue hanging out from her open mouth, and her razor sharp teeth out on display was Nafeesa gliding elegantly behind. She of course was letting Hermione win, for no matter how quick Hermione's vampire speed was, she could not outfly a dragon however hard she tried too.

The game of chase between Hermione and Nafeesa turned playful, as they moved through the air, twirling and diving, going up and down, as the chaser became the one to chase and vice versa. This was something they had been doing together since they first began to hunt together.

As they got closer to the cattle, things turned serious as they both prepared and maneuvered into their hunter persona. They stopped away from the cattle and Hermione turned to look at Nafeesa and nodded.

Taking her cue Nafeesa flew back up into the air, circled above the panicked animals, who could sense danger but could not see it, before swooping down and letting her claws grip and tear into the flesh of a cow, who cried out in fear and pain.

Seeing and hearing one of the herd members cry out, the other cows began to dart in all different directions. Hermione's eyes narrowed to one cow who was running further away and with her speed she took off, giving it chase. It was of course no match for her. As she closed the distance between them, she pounced, wrapping her long slender arms around its body and squeezing before she heard the sound of a rib breaking. They tumbled on the ground and once her prey was still, she sunk her teeth into its thick neck and drank its sweet tasting blood, until there was nothing left to drink.

Nafeesa who had stopped not that far away, to devour her own meal, waited patiently for Hermione to finish and once she had, dived in and finished off the rest of Hermione's meal. Crunching bones and tearing into the thick flesh.

Once they were both finished and were sated they lay on the long grass, Hermione's head resting against Nafeesa's stomach, as she was lying on her side. They settled and relaxed while Hermione gazed up at the blue sky, her skin sparkling like tiny diamonds because of the morning sun.

It was moments like this when she let her mind race with everything that was going on and what would soon be happening. Despite how happy she was here and in the company of Nafeesa, she couldn't allow herself to forget the real reason why she had come here in the first place. She knew that they only had a short time left, until they had to leave in order to return back to Volterra, and to the War that was going to happen soon.

A small part of her didn't want to leave however, as she had grown incredibly fond of the Dragon Sanctuary and of the people who worked and devoted their time towards the misunderstood creatures. But more than that she had grown a strong attachment towards Nafeesa, and didn't want to leave her.

Hermione would have to leave though, there was no question about that. But what would happen to Nafeesa after she had gone. Would she be alright? Would she be angry or sad? What would happen to her if Hermione's vision did come true and she perished? Would Nafeesa feel that? Would she be in pain?

All these questions rushed through her mind, whenever she had a moment alone. Every time these questions came to the forefront of her mind, she quickly pushed them away again not wanting to dwell on them, but she knew that she could not avoid them any longer. She had to speak with Nafeesa, after all she owed her that much.

Sitting up, she moved to position herself in front of Nafeesa's long slender muzzle, not scared in the slightest about being close to her mouth and sharp teeth, or about the flames that could kill her instantly. She knew that Nafeesa would never hurt her, not on purpose anyway.

Sliding both of her hands over Nafeesa's cool scaly skin, Hermione sighed before saying,

"Thank you for what you did for me today Nafeesa, I hope you know how much I appreciate it. You really are a treasure." She whispered lovingly to her friend and familiar. Nafeesa simply huffed in response before licking Hermione's face with her long forked tongue, something that always made Hermione giggle with delight. Who would ever believe that a fearsome dragon could ever show friendship or kindness by doing this kind of action, it never failed to stop amazing her that she was indeed in the company of a dragon. Taking a moment to ready her next words, she finally sighed and said, "Nafeesa I have come to respect and care for you so much during these past few weeks, that I don't know how I'm going to manage my life without you in it. But we both know that I will be leaving here soon. I have to get back to Volterra, War is upon us and I must fight."

Nafeesa made a mewling noise before tilting her head to look at Hermione, her big round yellow eyes looking sad.

"I don't want to leave you, believe me. But I made a promise and I can't go back on my word." She sighed again and lay her cheek against Nafeesa. "I would take you with me, but there would be no way to hide you from the humans. You are safer here and at least Charlie can look after you."

She pulled away to look at her friend, whose eyes seemed to be glistening. Sensing the sadness and honesty from her non-human, Nafeesa buried her muzzle into Hermione's strong powerful body and took in the scent of her. She of course knew that her non-human wouldn't be able to stay here forever, she in fact knew many things that her non-human didn't. But it didn't make it any less painful, even to her a cold hearted dragon. They had only just found each other and now they would have to part ways. They would meet again, she had no doubt about that, but before they could be together again her non-human had to fulfil her destiny. So far she was only halfway there, she still had so much good left to do in the world. And no matter how much Nafeesa wanted to keep her here, so that they could fly and hunt together, be happy and free, she knew she couldn't.

That was another thing humans didn't seem to understand about dragons, they knew a lot more about the world and what was going on around them, than what the humans did. They didn't know or understand half the things in the world. Dragons did. They had the knowledge of foresight, and since Nafeesa was now bonded in a way to her non-human, she caught a glimpse of her destiny and what was waiting for her. It wasn't going to be easy and it wasn't going to be good, but her non-human was strong and powerful, the magic that radiated from her was testimony to that. And soon, sooner than her non-human even knew, the wheels of her future would turn and the next part of her destiny would begin.

This visit would not only bring her and Hermione together, but it would also bring something else, something precious to her non-human, something that would make the power in her manifest itself at last.

With one last lick to her non-humans face Nafeesa rose to her feet and let out a sad yowl.

Hermione stood up as well before giving Nafeesa one last loving stroke.

"Yes I agree it's getting late and I think it's time we got back, before the others send out a search party for us." She giggled slightly just imagining Nafeesa charging at the others if they tried to interrupt their time together.

A noise in the far distance reached Hermione's ears at once, instantly drawing her attention. Automatically she got into her defensive position as she looked around her, waiting for any signs of attack.

She couldn't see anything but she could sense something, something that wasn't far away from them. Shutting her eyes, she concentrated on the noise, which sounded like terror filled screams, and tried to sense what was causing them. It didn't take long.

Her eyes flew open and she let out a feral growl, as she hissed,

"Vampires." They were not good or familiar vampires that much she knew.

Without even asking and on instinct, she flung herself onto Nafeesa's back, as she flew up into the air towards the sound. The wards around the enclosure melted away and because they were no longer in the safety of the sanctuary, Hermione was able to cast a very strong notice-me-not-spell on them. The last thing she wanted was to draw any attention to themselves, especially if they were headed towards the enemy. Because of that she also cast a silencing charm on herself and Nafeesa, she didn't want the vampires hearing their heartbeats, as they needed to be quiet and stealthy.

It didn't take long for Nafeesa to find the location of where all the noise was coming from, she was after all a superb hunter, and her hearing was just as good as Hermione's. Landing a little bit away, Hermione jumped down from Nafeesa and made her way towards the noise, her eyes growing dark with anger, as she gazed upon the scene before her.

Vampires who were obviously from the Romanian Coven, were destroying a small village. Attacking innocent humans and toying with them. They turned men and women, who they obviously felt would be of some use, then lay their bodies in a line, as they screamed and thrashed about in agony, while the venom coursed through their veins.

Hermione could remember exactly how that felt, and felt incredibly sorry for the poor people who were suffering needlessly. The Romanian vampires didn't seem to care at all. They were barbaric animals with only one intention. They didn't even care about exposing themselves, they were like wild feral animals in what they were doing.

Watching them kill innocent children and rip the elderly humans apart, Hermione vowed then and there to do whatever it took to make sure that these people would never regain power again. The Volturi were many things, but beasts they were not.

Turning to Nafeesa, her body tense with anger, and her power swirling around her body, Hermione gazed into those yellow eyes then said,

"Come let's go. I have to get Felix and Demetri."

Again on instinct, Hermione hoisted herself back on Nafeesa's back, as they flew through the air at such a quick pace. They both knew of the urgency in the matter and had to deal with the situation now, before it was too late.

They both felt the wards as they passed back through into the sanctuary, and Nafeesa accelerated pushing herself more than she had done in a while, she didn't stop in her own sanctuary however, she knew the people Hermione needed were not there. Instead she continued to fly to the office building, yowling at the people inside in acknowledgement. Hermione didn't need to ask Nafeesa what she was doing, she understood immediately, and didn't have time to think about the ramifications.

Charlie and Phil, who had been inside talking to the two male vampires, heard Nafeesa's calls and ran out of the building in fear, not believing what they were seeing.

Nafeesa was landing, just as Hermione propelled herself off of her back. Before they could speak however, they instantly knew something was wrong, as an angry and determined looking Hermione strode quickly towards Felix and Demetri.

Right before their eyes Hermione's outfit instantly changed to one that screamed commander, and for some reason they all knew what that meant. Seeing this gave Charlie an idea, but he pushed it to the back of his mind as the three vampires began to speak.

"What's happened?" Felix asked, with no trace of fun or humour on his face.

"Romanian vampires, destroying a small village about five miles south of the sanctuary. They are turning men and women and are killing the children and elderly, those who are of no use to them." She snarled out. The flames of anger dancing in her dark eyes.

Charlie looked towards Phil and said,

"That's Corbeni."

Phil's face looked pale and sad as he slowly nodded his head.

"Let's go now." Hermione said, her voice sounding firm.

Felix and Demetri nodded in agreement, while Charlie, Phil and Nafeesa all made a move to go with them as well.

"Stop." Hermione said halting everyone's movements. "Only Felix, Demetri and I will go. Charlie and Phil you stay here. Nafeesa you will be safer here, Charlie will make sure of that." She went to touch Nafeesa's muzzle, but the dragon was having none of it. She huffed out her displeasure before turning her back on her non-human. "I won't be long." Hermione whispered, her eyes softening, before they changed back to being angry and determined.

With that the three vampires left the safety of the sanctuary once more, and headed towards the small village. Hermione did not put any spells on them this times, she wanted the enemy vampires to know that they were coming. And they were as mad as hell.

When they reached the small village, the only sounds that could be heard came from the bodies lying lined up on the ground, whimpering and crying out, as fire flowed through the veins. Hermione had no idea how long they had been going through the change for, so didn't know how close they were to becoming newborns. What she did know was that they could not be saved. They appeared too far gone. If they managed to suck out the poison then they would be killed regardless because they had been exposed to the vampires, and wouldn't be allowed to live, knowing what happened here in this small village. The kindest thing the three Volturi vampires could do now, was kill them while they were still going through the change. They would not feel any more pain than what they were currently feeling now. As Hermione looked on at the horrendous scene before her, a scene that looked like it came straight from a horror film, she knew that there was no hope left for this small village. They had come too late.

"Why would they do such a horrible thing?" Demetri asked with so much hate and dislike.

"They are filth, and we must clean that up." Felix replied, just as angry and disgusted as his mate.

"Let's go have some fun." Hermione whispered.

With that the three vampires marched out into the open, with Hermione walking ahead in the middle of Felix and Demetri. Anyone looking at them could see that it was she who was in charge. They didn't have to announce their arrival, as chuckling vampires came wandering out of the small houses, some with feral smiles upon their faces, while others wore malicious grins. Glancing around Hermione could count maybe twenty or more enemies. This, to date, would be their biggest fight.

"Uita-te la ceea ce avem aici. Gunoi Volturi." A tall slender vampire said moving to the front of the group. He had long pepper coloured hair with a thick moustache. He wore black trousers and a leather jacket and had an air of command about him. It seemed he was the leader of this group of vampires.

"I think it's rather ironic that they dare call us scum, after they do this." Felix said indicating the carnage that the enemy group had just caused.

"I agree. If anyone's scum it's them?" Demetri hissed out, never taking his eyes off the group. He obviously didn't trust them one bit.

While the boys chatted Hermione observed the group, noticing who appeared to be the weakest and who appeared to be the strongest out of them. The leader was obviously the strongest of them, so she would keep him until last.

"The lovely little lady is quiet. I wonder what's going through her beautiful mind just now." The leader of the group said in broken English, licking his lips lasciviously towards Hermione.

She heard Demetri snarl and lurch forward at the words, but she held out her arm stopping him from moving any further.

She smiled towards the leader, a smile that managed to look both innocent and dangerous at the same time.

"Oh I'm just thinking which way is better for killing you. Preferably the most painful death possible."

The leader of the Romanian group smiled, showing a perfect toothy grin.

"My, my I do love a feisty woman, I can see me having some fun with you." He sniggered, making his intentions well known.

"Then perhaps we should save each other for last." Hermione replied with a small deadly smile of her own.

"Perhaps we should." He agreed.

Not able to hold Felix or Demetri back, the three Volturi vampires charged towards the Romanians, as a fight once again broke out. This time Hermione was careful in what she did, only doing the basics that she was taught by Jasper, and then again by Caius and Felix. She punched, she kicked, she grabbed, she squeezed, and she even ripped out the throats of those vampires who were exposed to her.

Every time she was flung to the ground she got back up and charged once again, not giving her opponent time to get the better of her. She flew through the air, ripping arms and heads off as she went. Her anger and adrenaline fuelling her this time.

Ripping the head from her latest opponent she looked around noticing that the leader of the group had vanished. With her back turned to the spot he had been, she didn't see him running towards her until his hands were wrapped round her throat and she was unceremoniously thrown to the ground.

Felix and Demetri could do nothing but look on, as they were surrounded by vampires themselves.

The leader pressed himself into Hermione's bottom, letting him feel how excited he was by having her nubile body pinned beneath him. She was trying to buck him off but he was too strong for her, and had her caught. He pulled her head back by the hair and sniffed it, letting a shudder run through his body. Despite the fact he was a vampire, he was also still a man and he loved nothing more than a lovely female body beneath him. He didn't care if they were willing or not, he took his pleasure as he pleased.

"You are a delightful specimen and I would love nothing more than to ravish you right here and now." He let his hands caress over her back and down her rounded bottom before squeezing her none too gently. "You're a bit older than I normally like, but a man has to get some when he can."

While he was talking Hermione had somehow managed to wiggle a hand free. She was able to touch him on the leg and cast a weak cruciatus spell. It was enough to make him loosen his grip on her, but not enough to cause him actual pain.

That was all she needed however, as she pushed her body up and broke free before turning around and punching him square in the jaw.

"Bitch." He cursed out in anger.

She cast the cruciatus on him again, causing him to scream out in sheer pain, as his body rolled about in the dirt. He screamed and thrashed and Hermione took a lot of enjoyment in seeing him get what he deserved.

"What are the Romanians planning for the War?" She asked him. Stopping the spell as she watched his body convulse with the aftershocks

"Nothing. I know nothing." He cried out as she unleashed her spell on him once again, enhancing it slightly and making it stronger than what it was. He roared in pain, flipping his body over so that he was now lying on his front instead of his back.

"Tell me what you know." She yelled out, once again stopping the curse to allow him to answer.

He began to laugh, although the noise was broken and hoarse.

"I will tell you nothing so you may as well kill me now."

She let out an angry growl before turning him back over, and sitting on his stomach to pin him down. He was too weak to do anything but lie there and take what she was giving him.

"Oh don't worry, you will be dead soon. But before I kill you legilimens." She said entering the vampire's mind. She was instantly assaulted by image after image of the fight they just had, about the torture of the village they were in. But as she dug in further it seemed that the memories she wanted to see were surrounded by an iron tight wall, one that she could not penetrate no matter how hard she pushed. It was like someone or something was protecting these memories. She rummaged through the memories that she could see, until one particular one caught her attention.

The moment she began to watch it she felt sick to her stomach with revulsion. She was only half way through the image, when she quickly pulled out of his mind, unable to watch anymore.

She pushed herself away from him, her body shuddering with disgust and anger, as she tried hard not to be sick. He was a monster of the highest kind and she was going to take great pleasure in killing him.

As she tried to compose herself in order to face him once more, his sick laughter filled the air, making her body tense.

"I know what you saw. And I know how it made you feel." He sneered.

Slowly Hermione rose to her feet, her anger and magic crackling around her as they became one. All at once the clouds darkened and thunder could be heard from right above. She had experienced this before, it happened when her anger and emotions rose above a certain point. But at the moment she felt beyond anything she had ever experienced before.

Nothing had ever compared to the anger and the uncontrollable raw power that coursed through her at the moment. Slowly she turned around to face the vampire, who was a mere blur in her vision.

"You disgust me." She said in a voice that sounded nothing like her own. "You will die for what you have done." Once more the thunder roared from above them and the wind picked up, whipping her hair around her hardened face.

"Before I die let me explain one thing." He said with a malicious vile grin. "A female vampire virgin is a delicious gift to own. You know how our bodies re-grow and fix together." He said knowingly.

That was the last thing he ever said, as Hermione's anger erupted. The thunder roared above them, as a bolt of lightning hit the ground violently between them, before a ball of pale blue light burst forth from Hermione's hands, and straight into the chest of the male vampire. At first nothing seemed to happen, except for the male vampire laughing, but soon the smile was wiped off his face. His eyes grew wide with shock and fear, as he opened his mouth to speak. Cracks began to appear over his skin, and the same pale blue light shone through them, until his body smashed open, exploding from the inside out.

Hermione shut her eyes briefly, before looking back at the spot the male vampire had just been, but there was nothing left of him to indicate that he had even been there.

The thunder stopped rumbling and the dark clouds seemed to vanish leaving only clear blue sky, as an eerie calm washed over the small village. Hermione stood stock still, not knowing what had just happened. She looked down at her hands, which still seemed to tingle from the magic and the power she had just wielded. She had never felt anything quite like it before in her life. She felt strong and powerful, she felt as if she could do anything she wanted, and that had scared her. For that small moment she had been uncontrollable and unstoppable, and that thought alone was terrifying yet slightly invigorating.

She tried to conjure another pale blue ball, just to see if she could, but fortunately nothing happened. So lost was she in her thoughts, she didn't see Felix and Demetri stagger over to her, until they each placed a tentative hand on her shoulder.

"What just happened little witchling?" Felix asked, the worry clear in his tone.

Hermione gazed at him, with surprised eyes, almost as if she had forgotten they were even there.

"Honestly I have no idea." She said truthfully in a quiet voice.

"That was some power my little witchling." Demetri said. "Even we could feel it."

Hermione looked around them, noticing for the first time that they were completely alone.

"We need to get rid of all of them." She said indicating the large row of bodies, who were still going through the change.

"Hermione." Demetri said gripping onto his friend shoulders. "Forget about that just now, tell us what just happened to cause that kind of reaction from you?"

She shuddered as she remembered the memories she had seen. That vampire was a monster, he turned young girls purely because they were virgins. He would lock them up, starve them, beat them and rape them over and over and over again until he had enough and wanted something else. Then he would simply kill them, before discarding them like they were rubbish, like they were nothing.

The last words he spoke off were about a young vampire's hymen. A female virgin vampire would have their hymen intact, and because a vampire's body would repair anything that was damaged, meant that after the hymen was torn away, it would grow back every time. This was incredibly painful for a female, both the tearing away and the re-growing of the hymen. And he had used young girls for his own pleasure. Children. It made her angry again just thinking about it.

Then another thought crossed her mind.

"I can't explain just now, but will you two deal with them." She said indicating the bodies once more. "I have something that I need to do."

Without further instructions Hermione set off checking every single house, for signs of life. She finally came to one that looked dark and grubby and before she even walked in, she already knew exactly what she would find.

Taking a moment to prepare herself, she slowly made her way through the door, checking all the rooms as she went, before stopping in one when she heard a scratching noise from above. Looking up at the ceiling of the small dingy house, she slowly made her way up the stairs stopping outside a door. Taking another moment, she squeezed her eyes shut before turning the handle and stepping in.

The room was quiet but she knew she wasn't alone. Letting her gaze sweep around once, she saw there were dirty sheets strewn across the wooden floor and an empty bowl, stained with dry blood, sitting in a faraway corner. The window was boarded up turning the room into darkness and the smell of dampness and dirt assaulted Hermione's senses.

At the other end of the room she saw a post with a metal chain secured around it. Following the chain with her eyes, she caught the sight of movement. Knowing she looked intimidating Hermione crouched down to her knees and lay her hands flat on her legs, showing that she was of no danger.

In a quiet soothing voice, she whispered,

"I know you're in here. You can come out now. I promise no-one is going to hurt you." She waited a moment but when she got no reply, she then said, "My name is Hermione and I'm here to help you. Can you tell me your name?"

This time when she stopped speaking, there was more movement as a small girl crawled out from where she was hiding.

Her hair was dirty and matted, she wore a dirty thin, what used to be, white dress that barely covered her young body. She wore no shoes and every part of her skin that was on display was dirty. She had a crack on her cheek, and dried blood surrounding her mouth. Her eyes were black and she looked both terrified and starving. She had her arms wrapped protectively around her body, as she slowly made her way out from the shadows she had been hiding in.

Hermione felt her heart clench at the sight of the girl who could be no more than eight. It was clear to see just by looking at her, that she had been beaten and abused by the leader of this Romanian group. Every instinct kicked in and she wanted nothing more than to grab the girl and take her away from this place, to take care of her and look after her the way she deserved, but she knew this situation wouldn't be quite that simple. She needed to establish trust between them and so had to act with caution.

Hermione gave the young vampire a soft smile before saying,

"Hello sweetheart can you tell me your name?" The girl recoiled slightly at her words causing Hermione to whisper, "I promise I won't hurt you and neither will that monster. No-one will _ever_ hurt you again sweetheart." She tried not to let her own feelings about the monster show, and hoped that she sounded comforting rather than annoyed. The last thing she wanted to do was frighten the poor girl more than she already was.

In her mind, Hermione heard a small voice say,

" _My name is Morvin?"_

The child, Morvin, didn't look at her, she didn't even open her mouth to speak, she somehow managed to connect to Hermione's mind and spoke to her there. Stunning Hermione.

"Thank you." Hermione whispered softly. "For trusting me."

The small girl looked up at Hermione and just when she thought they were making progress, Felix and Demetri walked into the room.

Morvin saw the two intimidating figures and began to growl viciously, before running towards the three Volturi vampires baring her teeth at them. As she charged at them, the chain that was wrapped around her neck, yanked her backwards, causing her to cry out in pain as she was flung across the room.

Hermione spun towards Felix and Demetri and told them to go outside and wait. They saw the young girl and didn't want to leave her alone, but somehow she managed to persuade them.

Once they were gone, Hermione slowly made her way to the young girl, who was now curled in on herself in obvious pain. She broke the caller in half and pulled it away from the young girl's neck, before scooping the whimpering child into her arms. Hermione cradled her against her chest tightly, rocking her back and forth as she tried to soothe her, something that her own mother used to do when she was younger.

Her small body seemed so frail in Hermione's arms, and the repugnant smell coming from her clothes and hair, wafted up to greet her as soon as she was moved. But Hermione didn't care. At that moment all she could think of was the small child in her arms, a child who needed her at the moment. She didn't know what would happen to her, but right then and there Hermione made another silent vow to herself. She promised that she would look after Morvin and fight for her any way she could. Even if it meant begging and pleading the three Volturi leaders in order to keep the girl safe, she would do anything.

They only had a week and a half left until they had to leave Romania and go back to Volterra, it wasn't much time but hopefully Hermione could make some progress with Morvin.

Looking down at the whimpering girl, Hermione bent her head and kissed the girls dirty matted hair.

"I won't let anyone hurt you ever again Morvin." I promise.

Not sure if it was just her imagination or the slowly rocking motions of her body, but Hermione was positive that she felt the small girl cling tighter to her in response.

 **I know this chapter wasn't pleasant, as a mother of two young girls myself that kind of thing disgusts me, but little Morvin was always going to be part of the story and her history was never going to be pleasant. So I hope this chapter didn't offend anyone. She has been saved from that life though and the only question now is, how are the Volturi going to take to her since she is technically classed as an immortal child. She is only 8. Anyway thank you for reading Xx**

 **Translation from Romanian into English**

 **Uita-te la ceea ce avem aici. Gunoi Volturi- Look at what we have here. Volturi scum.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

Hermione knew that taking on a little girl who was mentally, physically and emotionally scarred after being so badly abused wouldn't be easy, but nothing could have ever prepared her for this.

At times she felt completely out of her depth handling such a vulnerable child, but no matter how difficult situations got, she channeled her own mum, Molly Weasley and Minerva McGonagall, three strong amazing women who had shaped Hermione's own life.

After that first day, Hermione had sent Felix and Demetri back to the Dragon Sanctuary while she stayed with Morvin. It was clear from the beginning that the little girl didn't trust being around men, who could blame her really for thinking that way, after everything she had just been through.

Once Morvin had recovered after being hurt by the chain around her throat, she relaxed a little more around Hermione, but her eyes always showed the wariness in them. Her body also revealed that the little girl was constantly on high alert, as her eyes kept darting towards the door, as if she was expecting that monster to come walking in at any moment.

Her arms were still wrapped around her upper body protectively, and she sat with her knees up, as if she was ready to curl into a ball at any given moment. The sight of the little girl looking so lost, scared and vulnerable hit Hermione hard and she wanted nothing more than to wrap her own arms around her in a protective hug. But she didn't want to frighten the girl away, so instead waited patiently for Morvin to open up on her own terms.

Before Hermione made a move to do anything however, she sat in the middle of the room and spoke softly and calmly to Morvin. Hoping to gather any information about her and about how she got here. It took a while but soon Morvin began to slowly open up. The most worrying thing Hermione found however, was the fact that the little girl avoided all eye contact with her, and when she spoke she choose to do it by engaging the mind rather than verbalize her words. Under any other circumstances she would have tried to find out how Morvin was able to do that, but now was not the time. She had to focus her attention on the little girl beside her first and foremost.

Hermione wasn't sure why Morvin choose to communicate this way, whether it was because she was so traumatized by everything that had happened to her, or whether it was because she was repeatedly told to be quiet by the monster. But she wasn't going to say anything and risk spoiling the small amount of trust she had established with the girl.

Morvin spoke of how her family were threatened by the monster and his comrades, as they now dubbed him. And how he had asked for her life in order to spare their own. Her family were poor with five other children to look after, but it was she who had roused the disgusting monster's attention.

Her family relented easily enough and flung her down at the monster's feet thinking that was it, that they were safe. But they were so terribly wrong. The monster simply laughed at their gullibility before ordering his group to kill them all, not even changing the two adults for their own army.

So Morvin had watched helplessly on as her family were killed before her eyes, not able to do anything as the monster held her tightly against his strong powerful body. The next thing she remembered was pain at her throat before darkness and burning engulfed both her mind and her body. Hermione understood what had happened for she too had gone through the same process herself. But she couldn't imagine how awful it must have been for an eight-year-old to go through it. She must have felt so scared and alone and afterwards she knew, she wouldn't have gotten any sympathy from the monster.

While Morvin spoke, Hermione noticed how the little girl slowly moved closer and closer to her, until finally she was sitting in Hermione's lap, her head gently resting against her odd sounding heart.

Morvin hadn't noticed the sound before, but when she did she grew curious and began to ask Hermione questions of her own. Hermione had to suppress a small smile, as Morvin quickly reminded her of herself at that age.

So Hermione told Morvin all about her own story, how she started life as a normal child, how she found out she was a witch, how after she was embroiled in a fight she too was turned into a vampire against her wishes. She skipped out parts of her story, only telling Morvin about the important facts and things she needed to know. She also told Morvin about how she now lived with the Volturi, as a vampire witch, and how she had come to Romania with her friends Felix and Demetri to meet with a couple of her friends from the magical world. She didn't want to scare the little girl by telling her about the battles she had endured along the way, or how they were so close to a second vampire War, so again she skipped out those parts.

The moment she had mentioned Felix and Demetri however, she noticed how the little girl stiffened instantly and how her eyes darted to the door half expecting them to come walking back through, at the mention of their names.

Hermione instantly began to reassure her, telling her how her friends could be trusted and would never hurt her. She didn't want to tell the terrified girl that before, when she took them outside and told them to go back to the sanctuary, how they had argued about the little girl before they relented. They told Hermione that the three leaders of the Volturi would never allow an immortal child to live, especially not amongst them out of fear of being exposed. It would also mean that they would be breaking their own law, which could damage any possible associations with the other covens, especially since they were so close to the War.

They both tried to make Hermione see sense and convince her that the best thing for her to do, would be to end the little girl's life now. But Hermione would not hear any of their reasonings. She would not let them hurt her, she would not let any of them hurt her again for she had been through too much already.

She was determined to take the little girl back to Volterra with her, and was prepared to beg the three leaders to allow her to keep the little girl as her charge. She was ready and willing to do anything it took to make sure that happened. Even though she hardly knew Morvin, she knew that the little girl needed this chance, and she knew that she would be the one to make it happen. She wasn't sure if it was her natural instincts, or the side of her that was still half witch, half human, but all she knew was that she wanted to look after the little girl and to protect her from any more harm. Morvin had no-one else and Hermione was willing to fit the role of mentor and protector, if the little girl wanted her.

Once their conversation came to a head, Hermione sat in the middle of the dark, damp room, hugging the little girl close to her chest. Wondering what she should do next in order to help her. They couldn't stay here that was for sure, as it held bad memories for Morvin and filled Hermione with disgust knowing what went on in this very room.

Letting her eyes slide over the little girl's form, Hermione made a mental note of all the things Morvin needed. She was dirty and smelly, so she clearly needed a bath and some clean clothes. Her hair would be a nightmare to wash and then brush, as there was so much dirt and grime in her matted locks. Simply looking at it now Hermione wasn't even sure what color her hair actually was, but judging by her dark prominent eyebrows she guessed it to be dark brown or even black.

Her small frail body still shuddered and shook in her arms, and Hermione could tell that she needed to feed. Remembering the color of her eyes, she thought of how dark they were and how hungry Morvin must have been. The dried crusty bowl in the corner showed that she had not fed in days possibly even a week or more, and that the amount she did have wasn't enough to sustain her for very long. It was no wonder the poor girl was so aggressive, remembering her own madness at being starved.

Wondering how to broach the subject, Hermione smoothed down a lock of Morvin's hair, moving it away from her face, so she could see her clearly. The little girl flinched at such a tender touch but Hermione simply held her tightly against her, as she softly asked,

"Morvin sweetie can you tell me the last time you fed?"

As expected the little girl tensed, her small dirty hand automatically going to her dry throat, as she let out a small noise that sounded between a snarl and a whimper.

Hermione held her tighter against her body and rubbed her nose gently in the girl's hair trying to calm her down, relieved to notice that it was working.

" _I don't know."_ Her small voice answered in Hermione's mind.

Guessing that would be the answer, Hermione told the little girl that she drank animal blood instead of human and asked what she would prefer. But Morvin was so hungry that it didn't matter to her. Hermione then asked if she knew how to hunt, to which Morvin simply shook her head no.

Hermione promised that in time and if she wanted too, she would teach her how to hunt, but for now the important thing was for her to feed.

Gently she lifted Morvin from her lap and stood her on the ground. Slowly, not wanting to rush her movements in case they scared her even more, Hermione got to her feet and took Morvin's small hand in her own.

"We can't stay here sweetie and if you want to feed it means we have to go outside." At her words the little girl recoiled and held onto Hermione's side, while burying her head in her stomach.

" _I-I'm scared."_ Morvin's small voice stammered in her mind. _"What if he's out there?"_ She asked.

Hermione gently pushed the girl away from her and cupped her chin, to tilt her head up in order to look into her eyes. They were downcast not wanting to look at Hermione, too embarrassed and ashamed.

"Look at me Morvin." Hermione whispered in a gentle voice.

Morvin shook her head no, too scared to look at her, so instead Hermione crouched down onto her knees becoming the same height as Morvin, and was able to gain eye contact with her that way.

"Listen to me sweetie, that monster is never going to hurt you again. None of those vile beasts will. I promise."

" _How do you know they won't come after me?"_ Her small voice asked.

Hermione wanted to look away from the small girls scared eyes, but didn't want to break eye contact with her. She could lie to Morvin and tell her things that she wanted to hear, but somehow she knew that wouldn't relieve her fears. So instead she sighed slowly and said,

"Because sweetie he's dead. I-I saw his memories, I saw what he did to you, what he did to other girls just like you, and I got mad. So mad that I couldn't let him hurt anyone else ever again."

The implication of her actions hung between them and she wasn't sure how Morvin was going to react to that, knowing that she was a killer, but Hermione didn't need to worry. Morvin gasped before flinging her arms around Hermione's neck, hugging her in a way that screamed of her appreciation.

" _Thank you."_ Was all the little girl said.

Hermione could feel herself reciprocating Morvin's hug, and couldn't help the swell of happiness that flooded through her.

Remembering what needed to be done however, Hermione once again pushed the little girl away from her, without breaking the hug, so that she could look back into her eyes.

"Are you ready to leave here and come back with me?" She asked again.

Morvin looked away briefly, as if weighing up all of her options, before turning back to Hermione and nodding her head in silent agreement.

It took some gentle coaxing and persuading but once they were outside, and Morvin's eyes had adjusted to the sunlight, Hermione lifted her up onto her back and began to run, ignoring the small pit of burning bodies.

Morvin held tightly onto Hermione, her arms wrapped around her neck, and her legs locked around her waist, as Hermione ran. Her eyes were squeezed shut, never having experienced this kind of thing before. Whenever the monster wanted to go anywhere she was always attached to a metal chain that he held. If she walked too slowly he would yank on the chain making her trip over her feet, or was whipped or slapped as punishment, to the laughter of the others. She never once felt safe with him, unlike how she felt on Hermione's back.

Almost on instinct now, Hermione made her way through the wards of the Dragon Sanctuary to where she knew the cattle of cows were. She needed to find food for Morvin quickly, without spending too much time on the hunt itself and this was the perfect place.

Sitting the small girl down in the long grass, Hermione turned to Morvin and smiled warmly at her.

"Wait here, I promise I won't be long."

Before the small girl could protest, Hermione was off with a steely determination, with only one thought in her mind, and that was to find food for her girl. She picked the fattest cow in sight, before jumping and squeezing its body, breaking numerous bones until it was on the brink of death.

When it couldn't fight her off, she easily picked it up before taking its almost dead body over to Morvin.

The girl watched as Hermione came back, carrying the cow with awkward ease. She flung it down on the ground and tore more of its throat open, letting the blood trickle over its skin so that the coppery smell could entice the girl out from hiding.

Hermione crouched down and beckoned a reluctant Morvin over. She could see the fear and hunger etched on the girl's face and noticed how she darted a wary look to her then back to the animal on the ground.

"It's all right sweetie, she's all yours." She said encouragingly.

With that Morvin's own instincts kicked in as she let out a timid growl and jumped over to the cow, putting her small mouth over the tear Hermione had made so she could easily feed.

Hermione sat down in the long grass and watched the young starving girl, looking as if she was having her first and last meal. She never moved far from Morvin, as the young girl had managed to position herself so that Hermione was always in her line of sight.

Taking a moment to think, Hermione imagined herself teaching the young girl how to hunt. She suspected that Morvin never had the chance to feed like this before, and wondered how she would take to hunting by herself. The dirty bowl that had been in the corner of the room had obviously had blood in it at one point, but she couldn't help but wonder where that blood came from, whether it was from humans or animals. If it was the latter then that would help in time for Morvin to get used to this diet, if it was the former, she wondered how hard it would be for her to wean Morvin off of human blood and onto animal.

The smell of human blood alone would entice Morvin, which brought Hermione to her biggest problem yet. How could she keep Morvin here at the sanctuary while Charlie and his colleagues were there? It was bad enough that she couldn't be near men, but also human men, it was perhaps asking the girl too much, too soon.

Her thoughts were soon interrupted as a now full Morvin crawled over to her, and sat herself snugly in Hermione's lap. Without thinking, Hermione automatically pulled her little body closer into her own, wrapping her arm protectively around her. She sighed before planting a small kiss onto the top of the girl's head before saying,

"Sweetie I need to take you to the office building, so that we can get you all clean and dressed. But I need to warn you that there are men there, not just men but male vampires and wizards. Do you think you can face them yet?"

Morvin went tense in her arms and buried her face into Hermione's chest, just under her chin, as she vigorously shook her head no. It was the reaction that Hermione expected but it didn't stop the soft sigh escaping from her mouth. "I promise sweetie that no-one will hurt you. I'll be there and I promise none of them will get near you. But you have to trust me. Do you think you can do that sweetie?"

Morvin stilled in Hermione's arms, but it wasn't because of the same feeling of fear. It was so that she could stop and think about the question that Hermione had just asked.

In the small amount of time that they had been together Hermione had managed to comfort her, she had been honest and nice. She had gotten rid of the two male vampires when she saw she was scared, she had killed the monster and promised to look after her, she had hunted a cow and let her feed, without feeding first and giving her only the leftovers. No-one, since she had turned into a vampire, had been so nice to her and Hermione was nice. She was full of cuddles, she spoke kindly to her, she even called her sweetie, which normally she would have hated but coming from Hermione she seemed to like. But the question was could she trust her? She wanted to believe she could but it was too soon for her to say. Trust was such a big word and after everything that had happened to her, she found it so hard to do.

With a resigned sigh she looked up at Hermione timidly and through their minds said,

" _I can't trust you yet. But I could try?"_

Expecting to be scolded or slapped for being so disrespectful, Morvin flinched and waited for her punishment, which never came. Taking a chance, she looked up at Hermione, who was smiling softly down at her.

"That sweetie was a perfect answer and it's good enough for me." She squeezed Morvin against her again, before laying a gentle kiss on top of her head. She had seen the fear in the small girls face, and knew what she was waiting for. But truthfully she didn't expect a better answer than what she had just received. Trust took time and patience, and just the fact that Morvin had said she would try was enough for her. In fact, it was more than what she could have wished for if she was honest.

Before any more could be said, loud yowling could be heard and Hermione smiled upon seeing Nafeesa land gracefully in front of them. It wasn't until she felt Morvin's body trembling violently in her arms, and heard her scared whimpers that panic suddenly flooded through her.

Standing to her feet she swung Morvin onto her back, shielding her away from Nafeesa. She loved Nafeesa, she really did, but she would not let the fearsome dragon hurt the girl in any way.

Standing stoic and composed, she looked deep into Nafeesa's eyes and when she spoke, she noticed that her voice was harsher than normal.

"Nafeesa I want you to meet Morvin. She is a vampire like me. Morvin I want you to meet Nafeesa, she is my friend and partner and as you can see she is a dragon. I promise she won't hurt you."

The promise she made wasn't a lie as such. She would do anything it took to protect Morvin, even if it meant disappearing away from Nafeesa. She didn't want to hurt her friend and would do anything in her power to prevent that from happening. Friend or not however, she would not stand by idly and watch Nafeesa attack her girl.

Nafeesa was not worried however, unlike her non-human. She had long ago foreseen the small girl her non-human protected and shielded behind her now. She could also sense the change in her magic and power, knowing the young child had been the key to her unleashing it. She was happy with these changes, as this was how things were supposed to be. She didn't take offense to her non-human being wary of her reaction, as she knew how fiercely a mother would protect her child. And although her non-human didn't realize it yet, this was only just the beginning of their bond together.

So in order to show the frightened child and her non-human that she was of no threat, Nafeesa lay on the ground and rolled onto her side, showing that she was submissive and vulnerable. Then her long forked tongue flicked out licking first Hermione, who as always giggled, then the small child. This was her own method of showing her acceptance.

Carefully slipping Morvin from her back, Hermione moved to Nafeesa and began to stroke her black scales lovingly, smiling broadly as she did so. Nafeesa never failed to amaze her, and although for a moment she had her doubts, the relief washed through her body at the fact her friend had fully accepted her new charge.

"Forgive me for doubting you Nafeesa I just had to make sure." She said truthfully, as there was no point lying or trying to hide the truth from such an intelligent creature.

Nafeesa tilted her head slightly and huffed, accepting Hermione's apology.

"Oh and I'm also sorry for leaving you earlier. I just thought it would be safer for you that's all." Hermione said. Nafeesa huffed again, but this time she tilted her head to the side in order to look away from Hermione. It was obvious from her response that she had not yet forgiven her non-human for that little mishap, and that it would take more than an apology to get her forgiveness. Hermione sighed, managing to hide the small smile that wanted to appear. Nafeesa could be so stubborn at times, but that was one of the things that she loved about her. "I promise I will make it up to you. Also before I forget there's a dead cow over there if you want it." She said pointing over Nafeesa's large winged shoulder to the dead carcass.

Without any more being said Nafeesa shot up and went over to the lying carcass before feasting on the leftover meat of the cow. While she was occupied Hermione turned to look at Morvin who was sitting staring at her with a mixture of awe, fear and wonder on her face.

"That is Nafeesa, we only met six weeks ago but she has become a best friend to me. There is no reason for you to be scared of her. She won't hurt you and now that she's accepted you, she will probably look after you just like she does with me." She smiled again as she shot a glance towards Nafeesa, who was now finishing her meal. "And don't let her size or the fact that she's a dragon fool you. She's a pussycat really." She said with a laugh, just as Nafeesa came walking over.

Hearing her non-humans' words, she huffed in indignation before nudging her large muzzle into Hermione, who simply laughed even more. Her yellow eyes moved to gaze at the little girl by her non-humans' side. Despite the fact that curiosity burned in her still dark eyes, her little body trembled still with fear and trepidation. Knowing that the little girl was far too nervous and scared to make any moves towards her, Nafeesa did it for them both instead.

She moved down to lie on her stomach, making herself look smaller and less intimidating before slowly inching forward. The little girl stiffened at seeing her move closer, so Nafeesa stopped and waited for a moment, before moving forward again.

Hermione watched with some amusement, seeing how Nafeesa was acting towards Morvin. The sight before her warmed her heart and knowing that Morvin had nothing to be scared of she sat back and simply watched, as Nafeesa tried to gain the frightened girl's trust. Of course if she had too, she would intervene if Morvin got too scared.

Once she felt she was close enough Nafeesa rolled onto her side, never breaking eye contact with the little girl and began to make little mewling noises.

Morvin glanced from the dragon in front of her to Hermione, her hand outstretched and hovering above Nafeesa's black skin, as if she was asking Hermione permission to touch her friend.

Hermione smiled sweetly and nodded her head.

"Go ahead sweetie it's alright." She said encouragingly.

Morvin turned to look back at the dragon, before moving a shaking hand onto the black scaly skin in front of her. She paused a moment before closing the gap between them. Her touch was hesitant to begin with, and she quickly pulled her hand away as if she was afraid Nafeesa would bite. Seeing Morvin's hesitancy, Nafeesa simply made another mewling noise of encouragement.

A small timid smile appeared on the little girl's face as once again she stretched a nervous hand out. This time when she touched Nafeesa, she did not pull back. Her touch was gentle and wary, but she had a determined glint shining in her dark eyes. The more she caressed and stroked Nafeesa, the braver she became. Until the smile on her face was almost blinding. For that short period of time while Morvin was lost in petting Nafeesa, all her worries, all her problems, and all her thoughts were forgotten about, and for the first time since Hermione had found her, she actually looked like a happy little girl. It warmed Hermione's heart seeing her like that, and she made another silent vow to see that smile on her face again repeatedly.

Nafeesa's forked tongue flicked out and licked the little girl on the face, and just like her non-human she simply giggled and tried to move her face away from the onslaught.

The three of them spent a pleasant afternoon sitting there for hours simply lost in their own little world. Nafeesa's large body was wrapped protectively around Hermione, who sat on the ground with her back against Nafeesa's large stomach. Morvin kept switching between sitting on Hermione's lap and lying on top of Nafeesa to stroke and cuddle her. It seemed the two of them had quickly become friends too, which in return made Hermione happy.

But sadly they couldn't stay in their own little bubble like that all day, despite how much all three wanted too. Hermione had to get back to the center and speak to Demetri and Felix. Plus, she needed to get Morvin bathed and changed.

With a reluctant sigh she looked at Nafeesa, who seemed to understand at once.

"Well Nafeesa I think we should head back now. I will take Morvin with me, as I don't want to scare her if we were to fly on your back."

Hearing her name being mentioned, Morvin sat up and looked at Hermione, while Nafeesa rose up to her feet.

"How do you feel about flying?" Hermione asked her with a small smile.

" _I've never flown before."_ Morvin's timid little voice said in Hermione's mind.

Hermione got to her feet and held out her hand to Morvin.

"I need you to trust me." She said as she waited for Morvin's reply.

With a nervous nod of her head, she placed a trusting hand in Hermione's before she was hoisted onto her back. Not knowing what was happening she squeezed her eyes shut tightly as Hermione took to the air. She could feel the wind whipping across her body, and could hear Nafeesa's large wings flapping behind them, but fear gripped her causing her to hold onto Hermione tighter. While she buried her face into her long curls.

"Nafeesa I'll see you tomorrow." Hermione yelled through the air as she passed the wards leading out of Nafeesa's enclosure. She heard Nafeesa yowl in response before the sound of her wings shifted to the side and grew quieter.

It didn't take long for them to arrive back at the office building, and once they had landed Hermione had to pry Morvin's grip from around her throat. Although she was little she was still a newborn vampire, so was much stronger than Hermione, even if she didn't realize it.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked, concern laced in her voice as Morvin still had her eyes shut tight.

Feeling the ground beneath her feet and realizing that she was alright, that Hermione had kept her safe just like she had promised, Morvin flung herself into Hermione's arms and held onto her tightly.

Hermione wasn't sure what brought this on but she didn't care. This simple show of affection warmed her heart more than anything else ever had. She scooped Morvin up into her arms and carried her into the building, glad that she didn't bump into anyone along the way. She didn't think Morvin was ready to meet anyone yet, and she wasn't quite ready to break this moment between them.

She walked briskly into the large bathroom Charlie had showed them when they first arrived, and quickly sat Morvin down on the toilet seat.

"I'm going to put the shower on, so that we can get rid of all the dirt first, then I will run you a nice bubble bath."

At Hermione's words, Morvin instantly tensed up. She wanted to go in the bath and scrub herself clean, to rid herself of all the dirt and grime that covered her body, but she didn't want to get naked. She was terrified of being hurt like she was before. Wrapping her arms around her body protectively, she began to rock as panic welled up inside of her. She wanted to trust Hermione but this was too much for her.

Seeing the change in the little girl, Hermione crouched down in front of her and placed her hands on Morvin's cheeks, before gently tilting her face up so that she could look into her eyes. But she had them shut again.

"Morvin sweetie look at me." She asked. After a moment, the little girl done what was asked and Hermione gave her a small pleased smile. "Thank you sweetie. Now trust me when I say that I don't want you to do anything that you're not comfortable with. I know how scared you are and I know what you have gone through, and I promise never to push you into doing something that you don't want to do. But maybe if you tell me what you're worried about I can help." She cupped the little girl's cheek, brushing away a tangled piece of hair from her eyes, so that she could look at her.

Feeling soothed by Hermione's actions she sighed deeply, trying to make herself brave before speaking through her mind.

" _I don't-"_ She stammered before saying, _"I don't want to get undressed."_ She finally said, relieved to get the words out.

"Oh sweetie." Hermione whispered sadly, before kissing Morvin's small forehead, fully understanding her fears. "I promise that you will never have to go through any of that again. You do need a bath though, but if it helps I can give you a swimming suit to put on. I can leave the room while you get undressed and then you will be covered. Is that alright? Can you do that for me?" Hermione asked.

Morvin thought over Hermione's words. She wanted a bath desperately, as she wanted nothing more than to be clean again, but she didn't want to be naked. The monster always liked her best when she wore no clothes. He used to always sit and leer at her when she didn't have her dress on. She shivered as the memories came back. But Hermione was different. She wasn't like the monster and didn't treat her badly like what he did. Hermione wanted to look after her and she really wanted to be looked after. If she wore a swimming suit, then she could go in a bath without her body being on display. That sounded good to her, except she didn't want to be on her own. She didn't want Hermione to leave.

With her mind made up, she unwrapped her arms from around her body and looked into Hermione's kind eyes.

" _Can you stay in here while I get my swimming suit on? I don't want to be on my own."_

She felt shy asking Hermione that, and didn't want to seem like a big baby. But the thought of being on her own, even with Hermione just standing outside the door, scared her.

Hermione brushed her fingers down Morvin's cheek and smiled reassuringly at her.

"Of course I will sweetie. How about if I stand at the door with my back turned to you. Will that be alright?" She asked.

Morvin gave Hermione a timid smile and nodded her head happily until a thought suddenly struck her. Causing her smile to fade and her eyes to turn lost and sad once more.

"What's the matter sweetie?" Hermione asked, her voice full of concern at seeing the sudden change in her.

Morvin sighed again then said,

" _I don't have a swimming suit."_ The truth was, a part from the dirty white dress she wore, she had nothing to call her own. No family, no friends and no possessions.

Hermione smiled again before looking around the room. Finding a face cloth at the sink she picked it up and lay it on the floor before turning to a confused looking Morvin. Giving her a smile she said,

"Remember when I told you that I'm also a witch?" Hermione asked, causing Morvin to nod her head in reply. "Well watch this." She said, before waving her hand over the face cloth and transfiguring it into a red swimming suit. Turning to look at a stunned looking Morvin she asked, "Is that alright for you?"

Morvin looked at the beautiful red swimming suit that glittered and sparkled, and felt excitement build inside of her. She had never seen something so pretty before, never mind owning something like that. And Hermione had made it just for her and no-one else.

" _I love it."_ Her voice said in Hermione's mind again, this time sounding even more quiet and timid than before. Morvin found herself completely in awe of Hermione at the moment, and she wanted nothing more than to keep her. For the first time in her life, she actually felt special.

"Go and put it on. I promise I will be right here, alright." Hermione picked up the swimming suit and handed it to Morvin, before moving to stand at the door with her back turned just as she promised.

She waited patiently while Morvin changed, listening as she moved and took her small dress off. She heard more movements, as Morvin put on her swimming suit then once she was done, tugged at Hermione's hand to let her know she was ready.

Hermione smiled warmly down at Morvin, while trying to hide the pity that she felt at the self-conscious, painfully thin child in front of her.

She said no words as she moved to turn on the shower, before beckoning Morvin over to her.

Taking the shower head down from the wall, she told Morvin to close her eyes, before pulling her dirty frayed bauble from her hair. Morvin winced and hissed, as the bauble pulled and tugged at her head.

Once she had finally gotten it loose, Hermione tried to separate her hair, but couldn't because of the dirt and grease. With a sad sigh, she began to rinse Morvin off, taking the time to try and run her fingers through her matted locks. The water that fell off her body and down into the drain was filthy brown, and it broke Hermione's heart further, seeing the neglect she had suffered.

With the aid of a thick brush, Hermione done her best to brush out as many of the knots as she could, but some were just so bad that the brush nearly broke.

"Morvin sweetie I'm going to have to cut some of your hair off. Do you trust me?" Hermione whispered sadly.

At Hermione's words, Morvin's hands automatically reached for her long damp hair, and running her fingers through it she could feel the tough knots for herself.

With a resigned sigh, she nodded her head in agreement, and waited for the sound of the scissors to announce her hair had been chopped off. The sound never came however. Instead Hermione used a cutting charm that she used to use on Ron and Harry, but had never used on herself. She watched in fascination as Morvin's hair went from down her back to just below her shoulders. It was sad to see her hair go, but it was for the best.

"That's it all done sweetie." Hermione said gently.

Just like before Morvin's hand went straight to her hair as she felt the length of it, gasping in shock when she realized how much had gone.

If she could cry she would have, as she always loved her hair growing up as a child. It was long and slightly curly and had been the envy of all the other girls she knew. Now it was gone.

"Don't worry sweetie, it will grow back." Hermione promised, when she saw Morvin's response. So much was changing for the little girl and it broke Hermione's heart. She wanted to help her as much as she could, but knew she couldn't take all of her pain away. She could only ease it bit by bit.

She grabbed a bottle of shampoo and put some on her hands before saying,

"I'm just going to wash your hair now sweetie. It might need to be done a couple of times alright." She said before lathering the shampoo into her hair.

She ended up washing Morvin's hair four times before the water finally began to run clear. It had taken some time but it was finally done. Next Hermione put some soap on a sponge and gave it to Morvin to wash herself with. She didn't think the little girl would feel comfortable if she did it for her.

Once she was all washed and clean Hermione then rinsed out all the dirt in the bath, before using a charm to freshen it up. She then set about running Morvin a bubble bath. It didn't matter if the water was hot or not, as they couldn't feel the temperature, she just wanted Morvin to relax and settle some more.

While Morvin lay her head back, Hermione told her some stories about growing up as a witch. She made sure that they were light hearted funny ones, rather than the more serious ones. She spoke fondly of Neville and how he used to blow up his cauldron all the time, and how Seamus used to always somehow manage to set everything on fire. She spoke of Hagrid and his love of making rock cakes that were hard enough to break your teeth. And about Dumbledore and all the strange multicolored outfits he used to wear.

Just like she hoped she would, the more Hermione spoke, the more Morvin seemed to relax and unwind, letting her guard drop a little. Her body was less tense and her eyes were less wary, as she gave Hermione small smiles and timid giggles. Again seeing Morvin look like that was so much more than she could have asked for.

All that quickly changed however, as Demetri came barging into the bathroom, causing Hermione to curse herself for not putting up wards or even locking the door.

"Hermione we need to talk. Now." He said, looking from her to the girl.

Before Hermione could even reply to him, Morvin began to scream at the top of her lungs, turning on her side and rolling into a tight ball, as she splashed water around the room.

Glaring at Demetri she forced him out of the room, knowing that this was her fault and not his.

"We'll speak later." She hissed out before slamming the door shut and locking it. She turned her attention back to Morvin, who was curled up tight, screaming and rocking from side to side in obvious fear. Without even thinking, Hermione jumped into the bath fully clothed and pulled Morvin onto her lap. She stroked her wet hair and rocked in time with her body, all the while making soothing noises.

Morvin's voice sounded in her head as she kept chanting,

" _I'm a good girl. I'm a good girl."_ Over and over again.

This made Hermione hold on tighter to Morvin. She wasn't sure how long they stayed like that for, but Hermione never once let go or loosened her grip until Morvin had stilled in her arms, and the screaming had stopped. Her small little hand had gripped on tightly to Hermione's and she placed it on top of Hermione's beating heart, as the sound and vibration it made brought comfort to her.

"I am so sorry sweetie I didn't know anyone would come in and I forgot to lock the door. I am so so sorry." Hermione whispered apologetically.

After that Morvin reluctantly let Hermione brush and dry her hair. She transfigured some clothes for her using items she found in the room, and when she was finally dressed, she looked into the mirror and saw a completely different girl looking back at her. She was clean and looked pretty. Her hair curled in soft ringlets, sitting just above her shoulders. The dress she wore was floaty and soft and in a lovely shade of yellow. She wore white leather shoes with frilly white ankle socks. To finish off the look Hermione tied a matching yellow ribbon in her almost black curly hair.

"You look lovely sweetie." Hermione whispered coming to stand behind the girl as she gazed into the mirror. Wrapping her arm around her shoulder, Morvin willingly melted into her side and stared longingly at their reflection. Seeing the two of them standing there together, looked right somehow. They could pass as family, sisters even and she wanted that. She would make Hermione see that she was a good girl, so that she wouldn't leave her. She would try her hardest anyway.

Unfortunately for both of them that was harder said than done. After that day as much as Morvin tried she struggled in vain to be near any of the men at the sanctuary. She would go from being violent and aggressive to utterly terrified that she curled up into a tight little ball. Hermione always tried her best to help and calm her down, but even she felt like her best wasn't good enough. She didn't know how else to help. The days were passing by so quickly and soon they would be leaving here. But she didn't think Morvin would cope. Which left Hermione feeling confused and hopeless.

"Hermione you know you can't take Morvin back to Volterra with us. She isn't ready and is too dangerous. You know what the Volturi will do to her." Demetri said to her one night as they stood outside on the balcony. Gazing up at the night stars as Christmas came and went.

She sighed and leaned back against his chest, feeling her heart clench at his words.

"I know but how can I leave her." She whispered sadly.

Demetri sighed and wrapped his arms around her.

"You know there is only one way to deal with her Hermione. It is the kindest option for her." He said quietly.

Hermione tensed immediately, before tearing herself out of Demetri's arms.

"The kindest option." She hissed out, glaring at her friend. "How can you say that? She has been through so much and deserves a chance just like the rest of us. I will not take that away from her. And I will not let you or anyone else take that away from her either."

Demetri sighed, hating seeing Hermione look so lost and upset. But there was nothing else he could do or say that would make this situation any easier.

"Hermione, she needs time and time is not something we have. We will be leaving here in a couple of days. I'm sorry Hermione but we cannot risk taking her with us. That is my final decision." He squeezed her shoulder gently but she instantly moved away.

There had to be something she could do, there had to be another way to help Morvin. There just had to be. Then suddenly a memory flashed in her mind and she knew what she had to do. She just hoped it would work.

"Demetri give me a couple of days. Aro said that we had the end of the first week in January. Give me until then, please." She begged.

Demetri stopped walking and sighed but he didn't turn to look at her.

"Hermione I love you, and I want you to be happy and if Morvin makes you happy then so be it. But you only have until then, otherwise Felix and I will take care of her ourselves." With that he left, hoping that he would not come to regret this decision later.

Hermione smiled brightly before heading to one of Charlie's offices. Morvin was currently in one of the spare bedrooms reading, as she was too nervous to venture outside the room on her own. That was another problem she had developed. Because she was getting closer to Hermione, she was becoming clingy and possessive not willing to share her with anyone except for Nafeesa. So the only time Hermione had to herself, was when she left for a few minutes to speak to her friends.

Grabbing a quill and a piece of parchment, she wrote a simple urgent message before sending one of Charlie's eagles to deliver it.

"Hogwarts please, as quickly as you can." She said, as the large bird took off into the night sky.

She stood and watched it fly over the land until it became a small dot before finally vanishing. Sighing she could only hope that her plan would work. If it didn't then she didn't know what else to do, as this was her and Morvin's last chance. With one last sigh, she walked back into the bedroom where Morvin currently lay reading on the bed. She gave her a small smile as she sat down beside her and opened up her own book. There were so many thoughts going around in her mind that the words in front of her swam around the pages.

It wasn't until she felt a small hand clasp her own that she finally thought maybe, just maybe things would be alright for them.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

Due to the fact it was the Christmas Holidays, Hogwarts was almost empty. The only people to occupy the castle were the four Heads of Houses plus a couple of other Professors who had no holiday plans, the Headmaster himself of course and a couple of stray students who had nowhere else to go.

The four house tables in the Great Hall had vanished and in place was a large round table where students and Professors were able to chat amongst themselves at mealtimes.

It was on such a morning when one of Charlie Weasley's eagles came soaring into the Great Hall, with a letter tied around its leg. It circled above the students and staff twice before finally landing gracefully in front of Dumbledore's breakfast.

"Thank you my friend." He said taking the letter from the eagle's outstretched leg, before rewarding it with a couple of pieces of bacon and a sausage, as the long journey had made the bird ravenous and exhausted. "Go and have a rest somewhere before taking off back to your master." Dumbledore said stroking the bird lightly on the feathers before it finished its snack and flew off.

Dumbledore was not at all surprised at seeing Charlie's bird, after all they had been conversing with each other privately ever since he had found out about Hermione being in Romania. He had been both worried and curious and wanted to make sure that she was all right. Charlie's letters had eased his worries somewhat, but hadn't rid them completely.

But as he looked at his name written on the sealed envelope before him, he frowned, knowing that this letter was not from Charlie, but from Hermione herself.

Feeling curious he turned the envelope over and carefully opened the seal, before pulling out the piece of parchment and reading the words that were written on it.

' _Dear Albus, I am so sorry for troubling you during the Christmas Holidays, I wouldn't write if it wasn't important. Please come to the Dragon Sanctuary in Romania, alone, as soon as you can. Please, I need your help urgently._

 _Yours faithfully_

 _Hermione'_

The letter was short, brief and to the point, and as he read it a second then a third time he could almost feel the desperate urgency coming from it. Hermione was in trouble and needed his help. Of course he would go to her.

He sat deep in thought, absentmindedly running his fingers through his beard, as he contemplated what could be so urgent for her to write to him and request his help.

Severus who sat on his right hand side, was silently watching him from the corner of his eye. He could see that the Headmaster was troubled about something, and knew at the sight of the bird, that the letter was from Charlie.

"Albus what's wrong." He asked in barely a whisper.

Remus who was sitting in between Severus and a heavily pregnant Dora, lifted his head to look at the Headmaster when he heard Severus's words.

"What new information does Charlie have for us?" Remus asked, sitting forward so that he could talk across Severus, who didn't seem to mind, for he too wanted to know the answer to that same question.

Both Severus and Remus knew that any letter Charlie wrote to Dumbledore was about the safety and wellbeing of Hermione. This and the fact that Dumbledore looked worried, didn't help ease either wizards concern. They both cared for Hermione and ever since Trelawney's new prophecy, they were more worried about her than ever before.

Dumbledore sighed heavily, knowing that he could not hide Hermione's letter from them. He also knew how unhappy both wizards would be at the fact that Hermione didn't want anyone else to go with him, and out of respect for her, he intended to keep it that way.

"The bird is indeed Charlie's, but on this occasion he did not write the letter."

Before either wizard could ask him any questions, Dumbledore simply passed the letter to Severus for the two of them to read.

Once finished, Severus could feel his heart beat rapidly in his chest, but tried to remain calm in front of his mentor and friend. He simply raised a curious eyebrow and turned to look at the Headmaster.

"What do you intend on doing Albus?" He asked quietly.

Dumbledore ran his fingers through his beard again before saying,

"I intend to leave as soon as I can of course. If Hermione is in trouble then I plan on doing anything I can to help her."

As if expecting that answer Severus nodded his head in agreement before saying,

"Then I shall accompany you to Romania."

Dumbledore sighed again expecting this response from Severus, but this time he would have to remain firm. Hermione obvious didn't want anyone else there and he would not break her trust.

"No Severus you and Remus-" He said knowing that the wolf would also want to go. "Will remain here."

"But Albus…." Remus began but was suddenly stopped by an irate looking Dumbledore.

"No Remus. You disregarded my orders last time and you will not do it again this time. Hermione has requested my company and mine alone, and I will go to her, but you will both stay here. That is not a request but an order." His tone was final and held a note of warning that left no room for argument. He would not tolerate their disrespect in such matters again.

Sensing that there would be no changing the Headmasters mind, Severus gritted his teeth together, seething that he would have to remain behind while Hermione was in need of help. There was nothing he could do and it left him feeling helpless, a feeling he detested more than anything.

"Very well." He hissed through clenched teeth, before rising from his chair and storming out of the Great Hall, his robes billowing angrily behind him.

Dumbledore turned to Remus putting a hand on his arm, as he too rose from his chair.

"Please Remus, make sure that he does not leave this time. Hermione doesn't want anyone else present and I intend to keep it that way. I will explain matters to you both when I come back."

Remus sighed, he agreed completely with Albus's decision and respected him, but like Severus it didn't mean he had to like it. He too felt helpless and wanted nothing more than to help his best friend. But unlike Severus, he understood Albus's reasoning.

"I'll try but we both know when it comes to Hermione, his emotions get the better of him." Remus said, a hint of sadness in his knowing eyes.

Dumbledore sighed and gave him a small reluctant smile.

"Yes and that is exactly why I do not want him to come with me."

With a nod of his head Remus turned and whispered something into Dora's ear, kissing her cheek affectionately before turning to follow Severus out of the Great Hall. He wasn't sure how he was going to stop him from leaving the castle but he had to do something.

Dumbledore followed the wizard out and headed straight to his office. He didn't want to waste any precious time in helping Hermione. After packing a small bag, he sent off a patronus to Minerva informing her of where he was going before flooing straight into the Minister of Magic's office. He needed a portkey and he needed one now, time was of the essence.

* * *

Back in Romania Hermione had now been waiting for Dumbledore for four days and was beginning to get restless, believing he was not coming. He hadn't written a reply to her nor had he shown up.

Morvin's behavior was becoming more and more difficult as she lashed out at everyone including her, and Hermione didn't know how to help the girl. The only time she seemed to settle was when it was just her, Hermione and Nafeesa in the safety of the enclosure, away from everyone else.

Even the female members of staff were getting screamed and shouted at and Hermione had never felt more helpless or at a loss than what she did now.

Demetri didn't help matters either, as he kept reminding her of the time slipping by. And the fact that they would eventually have to leave returning back to Volterra, with or without Morvin.

Every new day that passed, Hermione felt her heart breaking a little bit more at the thought of what might happen to Morvin. She knew that if Dumbledore didn't come, then there was no way she could leave with the little girl and take her back to Volterra. She was far too volatile to be around.

Every time Demetri gave her that look, she kept repeating the same mantra in her head, _Dumbledore will come,_ over and over again. She had to stay positive for both her sake and Morvin's.

Hermione left Morvin with Nafeesa one morning, knowing that the little girl was safe and protected with her familiar. Nafeesa had adopted Morvin as one of her own and cared for her just like she did Hermione. The fact that the little girls heart didn't beat, wasn't an issue to her like it was with Felix and Demetri, she knew the difference between an innocent child and adults.

Charlie wanted to speak to her about something and she had been so busy with Nafeesa, Morvin and spying with Felix and Demetri that she had completely forgotten about it until he sent an impatient patronus to her.

When she arrived at the office building, he was in a deep animated conversation with Felix and Demetri. Just seeing the sight of the three of them was enough to bring a small smile to her face.

She also felt incredibly guilty because ever since Morvin had come into her life she had been neglecting all three of her friends, and seeing them now sitting chatting together, only reminded her of that fact.

"Hey you three." She said in greeting, as she came and sat in the chair across from them. She stretched out her legs and closed her eyes shut for a moment, savoring the peace and quiet. That was just another thing that made her feel guilty, the fact that she was spending all her time with an uncontrollable child, she was glad to get some respite for a while.

"Hey yourself stranger." Charlie said, beaming at her.

"I know and I'm so sorry guys. It's just been- well you know how it's been." She sighed as her gaze drifted over all three of them.

"How is the little spitfire today?" Charlie asked with genuine concern.

Hermione's eyebrow rose as she gave him a small smile.

"Which one of my girls are you talking about Charlie?" She teased causing him to laugh.

"Touché my friend." He grinned back with that happy go lucky Weasley charm he had inherited.

Hermione laughed at him before sitting up, her arms folded on top of her knees as if she was preparing herself for business.

"So what was this important thing that you wanted to discuss with me then?" She asked curiously.

Charlie's face turned slightly red, the same thing Ron's used to do when he was embarrassed or trying to hide something from her or Harry.

"Ah well you see it's not that I want to talk to you about something in particular, it's more a case that I- well that Phil and I have something for you." He pulled out a black blindfold from his pocket before turning his gaze back to Hermione, his cheeks turning a darker shade of red. "May I?" He asked in an embarrassed voice.

Hermione tried to refrain from laughing at the reaction she was getting from her friend. Obviously he hadn't had much experience of doing this type of thing with a woman.

"If I let you put that on me are you going to chain me up next and have your wicked way with me?" Hermione asked teasingly, trying not to laugh at seeing Charlie squirm and look so uncomfortable. Felix and Demetri were obviously struggling to hold back their laughter, as one made a horrible snorting noise, while the other coughed into their hand. She smiled reassuringly back at Charlie and shook her head. "Honestly the look on your face was priceless. You can of course put that on me, I trust you."

"Witch." Charlie hissed out, though he was grinning from ear to ear. He had been missing this banter with her. Felix and Demetri were nice, though a little too serious for his taste, but Hermione, well she was and would always be like family to him.

He got up from his chair and walked behind Hermione, before tying the blindfold over her eyes.

"Do you see anything?" He asked, adjusting it slightly.

"Only the darkness." She replied.

"Good." He placed one hand in hers and the other on the small of her back, before helping her to stand. "Then follow me. You two as well." He said to Felix and Demetri who simply watched on in curiosity.

Charlie led Hermione out of the room they occupied and into a long narrow corridor. They walked the length of the corridor until Charlie stopped at a door with a sign that read 'Warning- beware of the heat. Experiments in progress.' Before ushering the three vampires inside.

When the dragonologists weren't out working in the enclosures they were usually found in this room doing research. Working with dragons was incredibly dangerous, and they came in here to find new ways to further develop things in order to help keep them safe. This was where they came to test items and help make them fireproof. Whenever someone came up with a new way to improve upon something, they would take it into this room, put it behind the fireproof window, and then press a button which would spit scorching fire at it. If it burnt, melted or disintegrated then the item was useless to them. If it was still intact or had the minimal amount of damage to it then it was kept and further developed.

Charlie directed Hermione to stand in front of the fireproof window. The light was turned off so no-one could see what lay beyond the room.

"Are you ready?" He asked her, excitement clearly sounding in his voice.

She hesitated for a moment, taking in the new smells and sounds in the room before answering him with a steady,

"Yes."

He grinned before pulling off her blindfold and gestured to the darkened room.

Hermione looked around the room with confusion, unsure what it was she was supposed to be looking at. Turning her gaze towards Charlie, her confusion must have been evident on her face as he blushed and leaned over to push a button, turning the lights on.

"Oops." He said turning a deeper shade of red.

Hermione turned to look into the room beyond the window and gasped at the sight before them. Taking a small step forward she asked,

"Charlie what is this?"

He was unable to hide the ear splitting grin forming on his face as he watched Hermione's reaction. He noted with satisfaction at seeing the curious but pleased look on her face.

"I got the idea the day you three went off to the small village that was under attack, when you changed your outfit into what I assumed was your fighting gear. And because you are now a dragonrider as well, I thought I would make you something that reflected your new position." He smiled at her as she gasped in surprise.

"You made this for _me_." She asked turning soft eyes to him.

He grinned while nodding his head.

"The outfit is flexible giving you room to fight or fly in. It's black and red, so it's the same colours as what the Volturi wears. It will also make you look like the warrior and commander that you are. Plus-" He said as his grin grew even wider. "Watch this." He said gesturing to the window as he flicked on a switch that caused fire to spit out at the outfit.

All three vampires were surprised by that and reflectively jumped back in shock.

Charlie flicked the switch again turning the fire off and when they looked back through the window, the outfit that was on the mannequin was still intact. There were no scorch marks and no burning flames of the sort adorning it. It was exactly the same as it had been before the raging fire.

"Amazing." Hermione said with awe.

"It's my best work yet." Charlie admitted with a proud grin. He moved over to the side door and opened it before stepping into the room and magically taking the clothes off of the mannequin. He came back out again making sure that the door was firmly shut behind him, before handing them to Hermione. "Would you do me the honor of wearing these, only when you need them for battle?" He said, his voice and demeanor more serious than Hermione had ever seen on him.

If she didn't know any better she would have thought that he had known about the vision she had, but there was no way of him knowing about that. Unbeknownst to her however, Dumbledore had already mentioned to Charlie about Trelawney's new prophecy in a letter he had written. And so he had taken it upon himself to help her in any way that he could. He didn't know how he could help her, not until that day when he saw her magically change her clothes. That's when the idea for the outfit came to him.

"Thank you so much, I honestly don't know what to say." She said, humbled at his thoughtfulness.

Charlie grinned at her again before saying,

"Perhaps you could try them on to make sure they fit before thanking me. Then if you wanted to, you could take Nafeesa for a fly and see how they feel."

She laughed before quickly pulling him to her for a hug.

"Thanks Charlie." She said again before leaving the three males alone to chat.

The three men wandered back into the seating area where they had been sitting previously in discussion. This time they were silent however, as all three of them sat in thought, all of them thinking about Hermione.

So lost were they that they didn't hear her come into the room until she gave a small cough to announce her presence.

Turning to look at her all three of them openly stared as they took her in. Charlie, in his design of the outfit had been spot on. Standing before them now was not the Hermione they all knew and loved. Before them now was a strong, confident, warrior, a commander, their leader.

She stood tall and proud with her hands firmly set on her hips, as she gave them a little coy smile.

"Well what do you think?" She asked tensing her shoulders slightly at the silence that greeted her.

She had on a fitted pair of black trousers that were tucked into black knee high leather boots. She wore a jumper made of surprisingly light, black chainmail. On top of that she wore a long black leather jacket that just scraped across the ground. It was synched in at the waist by a thick leather belt with three buckles that showed off her petite figure and was opened in a way to display her long slender legs. On her shoulders were metal pads, also black in color. Her hands were covered in black fingerless gloves and draped over one shoulder was a red cape, matching with the theme of the Volturi. Her hair which was usually either up in a ponytail or tumbling down her back in waves, was gathered at the sides, pulling it away from her face as it gracefully cascaded down her back. She looked everything like what Charlie had imagined, but still something was missing. Then he remembered.

Without saying a word, he quickly left the room for a few moments before returning back with a red box in his hands.

"You look wonderful except for one thing. Please take a seat." He asked in awe of the woman before him. She smiled at him shyly before sitting on the chair he had indicated. Carefully he opened the box to reveal a bronze circlet, its intricate pattern weaved in a way that looked suspiciously like Nafeesa's crown of horns. It was small and delicate looking and in the middle a small teardrop ruby hung down. Gently, glad Hermione had her hair the way she had, Charlie placed it around her head, so that the stone sat perfectly between her eyebrows. He adjusted it slightly before stepping back and admiring his work. "Perfect." He hummed with satisfaction.

"Isn't this too much?" Hermione asked letting her finger stroke over the soft metal of the circlet.

Charlie shook his head at her and smiled.

"No it's perfect. You look like everything I imagined. Now why don't you go and see what Nafeesa thinks."

Hermione smiled then looked at Felix and Demetri, who simply stood in a stunned silence. They both agreed with Charlie, in the fact that she looked perfect. They knew her to be strong and powerful, and he had captured all of that in one outfit. They knew then that they would willingly follow her into battle, they would defend her to the death.

"You look wonderful Hermione." Felix said patting her shoulder reassuringly.

"Yes my little witchling, you are simply amazing." Demetri whispered honestly.

She gave them both a small smile and thanked them before leaving to go back to Nafeesa's enclosure. If she had stayed only a couple of minutes longer, she would have seen the timely arrival of one Albus Dumbledore.

Arriving at Nafeesa's enclosure she walked through the wards and was instantly greeted by a playful yowling sound, followed by a little girl's hearty laugh. Smiling at the noise, she made her way over to where the sound was coming from only to suddenly stop at the sight that met her.

Nafeesa was chasing Morvin who ducked and hid from sight, running between the dragon's legs and hiding behind her large tail, while Nafeesa pretended to try and find her. As if giving up on the task, Nafeesa fell to the ground and rolled over as Morvin lay down on top of her belly, her arms outstretched covering as much as the dragon as she could. With a flick of her long forked tongue, she licked Morvin's small oval face, before laying her head back down. Only then did she catch the sight of her non-human watching from the distance.

Her head shot up as she took in the appearance of her non-human, who did not look like that before she left. Gently nudging the small child from her body, she stood slowly to her feet and walked gracefully over to her non-human. Taking in the sight of her as she grew closer. Her yellow knowing eyes stopped at the sight of the circlet on her non-humans' head and all at once she knew. She threw back her head and let out the loudest happiest sounding yowling noise she had ever made, as she accepted her new role, cementing her relationship further with her non-human. The dragons in the other enclosures, returned her gesture, as each one answered her back in reply.

Just like that first time Nafeesa ran to Hermione grabbing her red cape with her mouth, pulling her up onto her back before taking off into the air.

Hermione smiled before realizing they had forgotten someone down below.

"Nafeesa we have to go back for Morvin." She said as Nafeesa flew lower to the ground before circling again, until they were close enough to Morvin. With her arms outstretched Hermione picked up the little girl and sat her between her legs, with her arms circling protectively around Morvin's tiny little waist.

"It's alright sweetie we have you." Hermione said, suddenly aware that Morvin had never flew with her on Nafeesa's back before. She must have been so scared, Hermione thought suddenly feeling guilty.

" _I know."_ The little voice said in her mind, sounding excited and happy.

Moving her head slightly to the side Hermione was able to see the big smile plastered on Morvin's face, making her look so young and carefree.

Satisfied that she wasn't scared she held on tighter to the child and relished this moment for what it was. Nafeesa flew around her own enclosure gliding and soaring through the air, feeling more complete and settled than she had ever felt before. Things with her non-human were progressing just as they should be, and she knew that with the new arrival at the Dragon Sanctuary, that things were about to change further. It was after all her non-humans' destiny. In fact, it was now all three of their destinies, as they were now all weaved and linked in together. This was her family and she was proud, but at the same time she was sad for she knew that it wouldn't be long until they had to go. Sadly, she could not fight with destiny.

Feeling the magic of the new person in the sanctuary, she carefully glided back around and headed towards the wards of her enclosure, where she knew they would be waiting. She landed with graceful agility, a safe distance away from the wards for she knew that if they were any closer the child would get upset.

"Why did you stop?" Hermione asked Nafeesa, who simply nodded her head to the front of them. Lifting her head up, she gazed in the direction that Nafeesa indicated, her eyes training on the welcome sight of Dumbledore, who stood smiling broadly at her, his blue eyes twinkling madly even from this distance.

As pleased as Hermione was to see him, she feared Morvin's reaction to their new guest, so quickly jumped off Nafeesa before looking into her alert yellow eyes.

"Take Morvin away for now, I will find you when I'm done." She whispered, so that Morvin could not hear.

With a nod of her head and a flick of her tongue Nafeesa was off, flying through the air until she could no longer be seen. A feeling of relief washed over Hermione as she turned to look back at Dumbledore who was gazing back at her, although he was deep in conversation with Charlie.

Hermione smiled at him once, before using her vampire speed to pass through the wards and embrace him, happy in the knowledge that he was here, that he had finally came.

"Hermione my dear, I would ask how you are but it seems quite obvious." He said with a small chuckle. She looked better than what he had imagined, in fact she looked better than he had ever seen her. Which made him curious to know why he was even here.

"Albus thank you so much for coming. To be honest I was getting rather worried when I heard no reply from you. I didn't think you would get here in time." She admitted, knowing how foolish that sounded because she knew Dumbledore would never let anyone down.

"Ahh I do apologize my dear girl but trying to procure a portkey was more difficult than I thought. Romania isn't safe at the moment, as you well know due to all the trouble brewing. Even witches and wizards have felt such a negative change." He said with a frown. As far as the Ministry were aware no witches or wizards had been turned or attacked by any vampires, but they were asked to take safety precautions. Some were even forced to evacuate from certain areas due to violence against unsuspecting muggles by vampire groups.

Hermione sighed heavily and nodded her head in understanding.

"Yes I can imagine. Since coming here Demetri, Felix and I have saw innocent vampires running from the Romanian Covens soldiers. They don't want to be a part of it but are being forced and threatened to join. Albus, we've seen them wipe out a whole village. They are creating newborn armies and training them in the Hoia-Baciu forest, where our battle will take place. We've been there and seen it for ourselves." She looked momentarily angry as the memories hit her again. "They are evil barbaric monsters." She hissed out.

Seeing the tension on her face Dumbledore held out his arm to her and smiled sadly.

"Would you care to go for a walk with me? I think we have some things to discuss do we not?" His eyebrow rose in question and she couldn't help but smile fondly at him as she took his arm.

"Yes we do I suppose." She agreed.

They turned to say their goodbyes to the rest of the group before turning to walk through the safe parts of the sanctuary. They walked in silence as Dumbledore looked around him in wonderment at the sights that greeted him. He of course knew about the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary and heard stories about it from Hagrid and other people who had visited over the years, but unfortunately for him had never visited himself until now. The stories he had heard never done the place justice as he couldn't believe the sheer beauty and tranquility of the place.

After having his fill of the sights surrounding him, he glanced down at Hermione who appeared to be deep in thought herself.

"Now my dear I must confess about having been extremely worried about the urgency of your letter. But having seen you now looking so well and happy, I can't help feel befuddled about why you would request my presence."

Hermione sighed and let go of his arm to walk a little bit ahead, taking a moment to compose her thoughts. Now that he was here she found herself to be at a complete loss of where to begin. There were so many questions and thoughts running through her mind at the moment, but she knew she would start with the topic that was most important to her, the real reason why he was here and that was Morvin.

She stopped walking and turned to look at him with eyes that were both filled with sadness and hope. Clasping her hands together she finally said,

"As I mentioned to you before Felix, Demetri and I saw a whole village being wiped out. They killed the elderly and the young, keeping those men and women who they felt could be used as soldiers. We got into a big fight and killed those Romanian vampires and all those who were going through the change. It was awful." She said remembering the small village and all those poor people lying in an undignified row, as they went through the worst pain in their lives. "We couldn't save them Albus it was too late, they were too far gone and even if we could, the vampire race would have been exposed to muggles. We couldn't let that happen." She said softly hoping that he would understand. "While I was fighting with the leader of the group, I performed legilimency on him to see what he knew, if there was anything that we could use to help us. It was like a metal wall had been placed around his memories I've never seen anything quite like it before. I couldn't penetrate it."

Dumbledore frowned as he listened to her intently and watched as all the emotions played across her face ranging from anger, to sadness, to helplessness. He knew that she felt guilty about not being able to save those poor people but she was right, there was nothing they could have done to save them. As he listened to what she said about reading the leader's mind, he grew concerned by this piece of information. He had never heard of anything quite like this before, not even with those who were experts in legilimency, and that thought was incredibly disturbing.

"Please carry on." He said softly, as she stopped speaking letting him think over everything he had just heard.

"Not all of his thoughts were hidden however." She said with such hatred and disgust. "He was a monster Albus. I saw images of him turning small girls into vampires, not just any small girl but young virgins. He abused them sexually, mentally and physically. The images I saw are ingrained in my mind and they make me feel ill." She turned away from him to compose herself, as she felt the same tingling sensation of her magic course through her body. She did not want to discuss this new development to him at the moment, so waited until she had calmed down enough before turning back to look at him.

He of course had felt the frizzle of her magic in the air, but didn't want draw any attention to it, knowing that she would discuss it with him when she was ready and not before.

"It was because of these images that I was able to find her." She said warmly, her eyes instantly softening.

"Her." Dumbledore queried.

She smiled and nodded her head.

"Yes Morvin a small beautiful little girl. She was chained up like an animal, starving, dirty, hurt and broken. Demetri and Felix wanted to end her life but I couldn't let them do that. She is just an innocent little girl Albus, who needed someone to care for her. So I took her under my wing." She sighed wearily and rubbed her eyes. "She trusts me Albus, but the problem is she is so broken from what that man done to her, she becomes angry or terrified in the face of men. I-I don't know how to help her and I'm struggling. We're returning back to Volterra soon and unless things change drastically she will be killed. Which is why I need your help?" She turned pleading eyes onto him and stepped closer. "Severus was able to obliviate Marcus's memories of Didyme, I thought maybe you could obliviate her memories of what happened."

The hope shone from her eyes and he could see just how much she had come to care for the small child she spoke of. As much as it warmed his heart to see her like this, he knew that he could not do what she had just asked.

"Hermione as much as I want to help you with this, I cannot. She is just a child and although she has gone through the change her mind is still growing. To obliviate her mind could destroy it. You do not want that." He said sadly as all the hope drained from her eyes, replaced by pain and anguish.

"Is there nothing that can be done?" She asked, her voice breaking at the thought of losing the little girl who she had come to care about.

He sighed, rubbing his beard as he thought over everything that could be of use in this situation. Finally he said,

"There could be another way, but I warn you there will be aftereffects."

"What, what is it?" She asked, not wanting to raise her hopes up.

"Instead of a full obliviate I could apply a strong memory charm to her mind. It will contain all the bad memories but not permanently erase them, which means they could come back at some point in her life. And as I already said there could be some aftereffects. She might still show some behavioral problems; certain things may trigger a specific behavior or a certain memory. She may also get the feeling that she's forgetting something but won't know what. It may or may not help her but it's the only thing I can think of at the moment." He said grimly.

Hermione knew she would do whatever it took to try and give Morvin a chance. If it worked then great, if it didn't then at least she could say she had tried. This was their only hope and she could do nothing more than pray to Merlin that it worked. If her memories did come back, then they could deal with that together. And Hermione hoped that by that time Morvin would feel loved and cared enough about, that her behavior wouldn't be as unpredictable as it was now.

With her mind made up, she turned to Dumbledore and nodded.

"Let's try it Albus. I want her happy and safe and I, at least, owe her this chance."

Dumbledore gave her a small smile of understanding.

"Where is the child just now?" He asked.

She smiled broadly at him this time, a smile that was both full of warmth and pride.

"She is being looked after by Nafeesa at the moment, don't worry she is in safe hands."

Dumbledore chuckled slightly at her words. He could not believe the sight that had greeted him when he first peered into Nafeesa's enclosure. Charlie had filled him in briefly when he first arrived, and so he knew that Hermione had befriended a dragon, the same dragon from the Triwizard Tournament not that long ago. But he had no idea how close Hermione and the dragon were. While he stood stunned watching as Hermione flew on Nafeesa's back, Charlie quickly filled him in on all the other details, which he found simply astounding. He was looking forward to seeing the two of them interacting for himself.

"Charlie spoke a little about you and Nafeesa, it came as a rather pleasant surprise. I wonder how Harry will feel knowing that you are friends with his old rival." He said again with a chuckle.

Hermione laughed at his words and sniggered.

"I think he will have a fit when he finds out. Really she's not as scary as she appeared back them. She's actually a big softy but don't tell her I said that. She'll just go into a strop. Nafeesa is incredibly stubborn and doesn't like anyone knocking her pride." She said with a giggle.

Albus couldn't help but watch her with amazement. She truly was a remarkable woman and despite the smiles and warmth, he could feel that she was still holding something back from him.

"Hermione forgive an old man his curiosity but I sense Morvin is not the only thing that worries you at the moment. Do you wish to talk about it?"

The smile instantly fell from her face and she sighed heavily.

"It's true there is something else. The day that I found Morvin, when I was using legilimency on that vile monster, I felt my anger snap and my magic take over. I did something awful Albus, and I couldn't control it. It made me feel powerful beyond belief, I felt unstoppable and so angry. It scared me so much. What if I can't control this power? What if it makes me turn dark?"

"Hermione." He whispered a small smile on his face. "Even the most powerful people in the world have a choice of whether they are good or bad. Voldemort used his powers for evil, I used my powers for good, and when I look at you all I see is goodness." She went to speak but he quickly stopped her. "Hermione my girl we all do some terrible things at dangerous times, unfortunately it is unavoidable. But you have goodness in your heart. You love, you care, you have a soul, you know the difference between good and bad, and as long as you keep all of those things, you will never fall into darkness."

Hermione could feel a single tear run down her cheek as she absorbed his words, feeling like a heavy weight had been lifted off of her. She swiped at the tear before pulling herself together.

"Thank you." She whispered with relief.

"There is nothing to thank me for Hermione, I was only stating the truth. Now, if you don't mind would you care to demonstrate this new power so I can see it for myself." He asked as once more curiosity got the better of him.

Nodding her head, she cast a protective charm over him, just in case, before moving to stand in front of him with her back to him.

She closed her eyes and thought about all the things she had seen and felt that first time. She thought of Morvin and the state she was in when she had just found her, then she saw the sneering laughing face of the monster. Just like before the magic coursed through her body, and she felt the similar tingling sensation run down her arms to the tips of her fingers. She opened her eyes to see the blue white ball of light appear in her hand and marveled at it for a second before firing it at a tree. They watched as the light disappeared into the thick trunk, and just as before cracks appeared with the light shining through, before the tree exploded and disintegrated turning into dust.

They both stood in silence, as they stared openly at the place the tree had just been. Turning back to Dumbledore she cancelled the protective shield and turned shy eyes to meet his gaze.

"The first time I done that, the weather changed. It became windy and there was thunder and lightning, before a bolt hit the ground. It seemed to grow worse the angrier I became. It didn't do that this time." She said quietly.

Once again Dumbledore was both amazed and at loss to what he had just seen. It was unlike anything he had ever witnessed before. He had felt the magic crackle in the air, and felt the sheer force as she expelled the light from her hands into the tree. It was both magnificent and terrifying at the same time. And he could fully understand her fear at turning dark.

"Remarkable." He whispered out loud. "I can understand why you are wary of such a power, but if it is indeed caused by your emotions it means that you have the power to control and wield it. It is only dangerous if you use it for the wrong reasons."

Hermione nodded at him in understanding before asking,

"What should I do then?"

He smiled at her, the twinkle firmly back in his eyes.

"That's easy, you practice your new power until you are able to control it as you wish. A bit like waving a wand and using that as a conductor for your magic. I think from what you just described, you had this power back when you first changed, I remember seeing you angry a couple of times that it brought a change in the weather, like you said. You just needed something to give you that final push for it to properly manifest and I think little Morvin was the thing that gave you that push." Without even knowing it, Dumbledore had just answered several question that she had been wanting to ask him. "Now shall we go and see to Morvin?" He asked with a smile as he extended his arm out to her once more.

"Yes please." She replied happily, taking his arm eagerly.

It didn't take them long to arrive back in Nafeesa's enclosure. Hermione felt it best that Dumbledore remained outside of the wards, just in case Nafeesa didn't take to him well. After all she was stubborn and might not forgive him for his role during the Triwizard Tournament. Luckily however, she didn't have to worry.

Hermione wasn't in the enclosure long before Nafeesa's familiar yowl sounded, and she came flying over to them, once again stopping at a safe distance for she still had Morvin on her back.

Hermione went to check on Morvin who smiled broadly back down at her, she hadn't yet noticed the elderly wizard watching them from afar. Then she turned back to Nafeesa and stroked her lovingly, before she was rewarded with a long lick from her tongue. As always she giggled at the sign of affection.

Moving to stand in front of her friend, away from Morvin she whispered,

"Outside is Albus Dumbledore, you might remember him from the Triwizard Tournament, but please don't scare him off. He's here to help me with Morvin." She whispered cautiously.

Nafeesa's head rose as she looked at the wizard, knowing who he was before her non-human even said a word. She wasn't going to do anything negative for she knew how important he was to both her non-human and the child. They needed him and so she wouldn't hold a grudge against him.

She made a mewling noise of understanding, before rubbing her large muzzle against Hermione letting her know she would not pose a threat to the wizard. Taking that as a sign Hermione turned to Dumbledore and smiled broadly at him before walking over to escort him through the wards.

Walking in front of the dragon he bowed his head in respect, before she let out a small yowl in return.

"Nafeesa it is so lovely to meet you again, under better circumstances this time. I would however like to apologize for the reason behind our last meeting. I didn't know about that task and if I did I would have put a stop to what they did to you. For that I am truly sorry."

Nafeesa knew that he was sincere and gently licked him with her long forked tongue. To say Dumbledore was surprised was an understatement.

He chuckled and reached out a hand to her, before looking into her yellow eyes to ask for permission. She closed the gap between them and rubbed her cool scaly black skin against his slightly trembling hand.

His heart lurched with excitement and for the first time in many years he felt like a young boy again. This was the closest he had ever come to a real live dragon and it was simply awe-inspiring.

"You have made me the happiest wizard alive. Thank you Nafeesa for your kindness and your forgiveness. It is much more than I could have imagined."

She huffed in response causing him to chuckle more.

So lost were they in the moment, that little Morvin had been completely forgotten about. It wasn't until she had dropped to the ground and let out a loud scream at the sight of Dumbledore, that they remembered. She bared her teeth and snarled before charging towards him. He instantly took a step back, as Hermione grabbed her. She pulled the girl into her body and wrapped her arms securely around her, as Morvin thrashed about. She was so much stronger than Hermione, but not once did Hermione's grip slacken.

"Ssh sweetie. Its ok, its ok. I'm here, I won't let anyone hurt you." She pulled the little girl down onto her lap and kissed her head affectionately, while muttering soothing words into her ear. Morvin snarled and tried to hit and scratch Hermione, but all she did was hold on tighter. "This is Albus Dumbledore, he is my friend and he is going to help you. He's going to remove all the bad memories from you and help you forget. I promise he won't hurt you. I'm here, I've got you and I'm never going to let you go." She soothed.

At her words Morvin began to relax a little in Hermione's embrace, although her scared eyes never once left Dumbledore. He watched as Nafeesa lay behind them, wrapping her large tail protectively around them both, which helped calm the little girl further.

Dumbledore simply stood patiently, the little twinkle in his eye almost blinding, as he gazed at the tender scene before him.

Finally after some time, Morvin turned to look at Hermione as her voice sounded in her mind.

" _How do you know that funny old man?"_ She asked causing Hermione to laugh out loud.

"He is a wizard sweetie and is the Headmaster at the school I attended as a witch." She stroked Morvin's hair lovingly and waited for the next question, just like her, there was always a next question.

" _Why is he wearing such strange clothes?"_ She asked after a moment's pause.

Again Hermione giggled.

"The clothes he is wearing are called robes, which is the clothing we wear in the magical world."

After another moment she said,

" _I do like his hat though."_

Hermione laughed and turned her head to look at her old Headmaster.

"Professor, Morvin says that she likes your hat." She tried so hard not to giggle at the words but couldn't stop herself.

Dumbledore quirked an eyebrow and smiled. He wasn't sure how Hermione knew all of that, as he had just witnessed her having a conversation with herself, but he didn't judge. After all there was always an answer for everything and now was not the time to question anything. Not when the little girl seemed so relaxed sitting in the safety of Hermione's arms.

"Is that so?" He said taking off his hat and waving his wand to duplicate it.

He took a couple of steps forward, before realizing the fear etched once again on the little girl's face. He stopped walking at once, taking a seat on the ground before them. Using his wand, he cast a silent spell making the duplicated hat float over to her. "Please have this Morvin." He said with a genuine smile.

Morvin looked hesitantly at him, not knowing whether to trust him or not. He didn't seem to be too scary and Hermione trusted him, so if she did then perhaps she could too. She reached out and took the hat from thin air, giving the elderly man the briefest of shy smiles.

He gasped when he suddenly heard her small voice in his head saying,

" _Thank you for the hat."_

Smiling through his shock he said,

"You are most welcome my dear."

For the rest of the afternoon the four of them done nothing but sit and chat, in a relaxed calm environment as Morvin got to know Dumbledore better. She was shy at first yet incredibly curious about him. He used his magic to make flowers dance and float around her, he cast his phoenix patronus letting her and Nafeesa chase it. He performed various magic tricks for her amusement, and answered any questions that she had for him.

The funniest part of their time together was when she had asked him how old he was. When he replied that he was 117 years old, she couldn't believe it and said,

" _That's really old."_

He couldn't help but laugh at her innocence. What really surprised and pleased him was the relationship she seemed to have with Hermione. It was clear that Hermione cared deeply for the girl, but it was also clear that the girl returned those sentiments. They were so alike in both looks and in personality that anyone who didn't know them would have thought them to be mother and daughter. It warmed his heart to see.

As the night wore on she began to move freely around him, and at one point even touched the gold embroidery on his robes. She was also fascinated by the beads that were tied around his beard.

Hermione was getting antsy and he knew that time was ticking by. Soon he would have to cast a strong memory charm, and after seeing her interact with Hermione, he really hoped it worked. For both their sakes. Although she was such a delightful child he knew Hermione couldn't risk exposing her to other vampires. Not when her behavior was so erratic.

"I think it's time Professor." Hermione said not wanting to put things off any longer.

Morvin was settled in her arms, her hand lying on top of Hermione's beating heart, something that seemed to relax and soothe her. So fixated was she on the sound and the vibration it made, that she did not see Dumbledore come up behind them with his wand out and pointing straight towards her.

He pointed it to the little girl's head and whispered,

"Forgive me my child." Before casting the memory charm with Hermione's enhanced power.

All at once her world turned to darkness as she slumped over in Hermione's arms. It would be a couple of hours until she woke, and a couple of days to see if the spell had worked. Time was now against them as they would be leaving the safety of the sanctuary in three days. All they could do now was hope and pray that it worked.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

The day Hermione both anticipated and feared had finally arrived. Today she would be saying goodbye to Albus, Charlie, Phil and the rest of the staff at the Dragon Sanctuary. Not only that but she would also be saying goodbye to Nafeesa, something she really didn't want to do but had no choice in the matter.

Things with Morvin had improved slightly. When Hermione had first helped Dumbledore cast the memory charm she held the little girl tightly in her arms, hoping and praying to every known deity that it worked.

She held on to what little patience she had as she waited for Morvin to wake up. Nafeesa sat reassuringly behind them, and wrapped her tail protectively around her non-human and the child. She gave the Headmaster a knowing look, and saw his baby blue eyes twinkle madly in return. They both knew what Hermione did not. That everything, in time, would be all right.

When Morvin began to stir groggily in Hermione's arms, she simply held on tighter and began to feel dread fill her for the first time since the charm had been cast. She couldn't lose the little girl now, not since she had begun to care for her.

Morvin slowly opened her eyes and looked straight up at Hermione, who graced her with a warm smile.

"Hello sweetie how do you feel?" Hermione asked brushing a strand of hair out of the small girl's eyes.

Morvin looked behind Hermione to Nafeesa and gave her a wide grin before turning her attention back to Hermione.

" _I feel alright. But what happened?"_

If Hermione felt disappointment at hearing Morvin still speak via the mind, she didn't show it. For some reason she had thought, or rather hoped, that once the memory charm was cast she would be able to speak out loud. But apparently that was not the case. She tried to reassure herself that, that didn't mean the spell hadn't worked, reminding herself to remain positive.

Hermione gave her a small smile not knowing what to say. If she told her the truth then it could trigger memories for Morvin, if the spell had worked in the first place. So with a small sigh she simply said,

"Me and my friend Albus here were practicing our magic and he accidentally cast a spell that was supposed to be for me, but unfortunately caught you instead." It was a half-truth that Hermione hoped wouldn't cause the small girl to be too upset.

At her words Morvin's head swiveled so that her gaze was now trained on Albus. Seeing him sitting there, his blue twinkling eyes resting on her, caused Morvin to tense up momentarily. She suddenly got the feeling that she had forgotten something, but couldn't remember what. If it was something important then it would come back to her no doubt, so for now she didn't want to spend too much time dwelling on it.

She looked at Albus again and remembered him giving her the hat, and making the flowers float around her. Feeling at ease in his presence she smiled at him and crawled off Hermione's lap towards the old wizard.

"I do apologize for my wayward spell Morvin." Albus whispered, as he watched the small girl put on her replica hat, grinning at him.

" _It's alright Albus no damage was done."_ She picked up a flower before pushing it behind Albus's ear and giggled softly. He rewarded her with a beaming smile before the two of them got into what appeared to be a one-sided conversation.

Meanwhile Hermione sat back on her haunches as she watched the small girl interact with Dumbledore, seemingly without a care in the world. There had been moments when she had just caught a small glimpse of the child Morvin was, but seeing her like this, looking so young and open, was so much different. She didn't want to dare let herself hope that things had changed though.

Morvin had been nervous but accepting of Dumbledore's presence before they cast the memory charm, but her biggest test would be seeing Charlie, Felix and Demetri, people whose presence had caused her to be the most agitated and upset. Only when she saw them, would they find out if the memory charm had worked or not. But for now Hermione wanted to spend what remainder of the evening was left seeing her girl looking so young, carefree and most importantly happy.

She knew however, that they could not stay out here much longer, the hour was getting late and darkness was fast approaching. Also Dumbledore had come a long way to see them and unlike her and Morvin, he was still a mortal who needed food, water and rest. Looking at him now, despite his smiling face and twinkling eyes, she could tell that he was too polite to say that he was hungry and tired.

So with that the three of them left Nafeesa to head back to the main building and face Morvin's biggest test yet.

Hermione grew more nervous the closer they got to the sanctuaries main building, sending occasional wary glances down at Morvin. A couple of times she caught Dumbledore's gaze, who simply gave her an assured smile. He took her hand at one point and squeezed it reassuringly, trying to ease her obvious tension. But it didn't work and only grew worse when they entered the building.

The first person to greet them was Charlie, who smiled and gave them a wave as he walked over to chat. She could see the worry glisten in his eyes however, as he glanced at Morvin, waiting for her to kick off like she normally did. Both were surprised when that didn't happen however.

Instead Morvin instantly tensed up beside Hermione and moved in closer to her, wrapping her arms around her waist. She knew she was being a baby and didn't understand why she was acting like this. All she knew was, that she wasn't sure of the man and just wanted to be near Hermione, whose presence was comforting and reassuring to her.

Feeling the little girl cling to her like a lifeline, Hermione wrapped her arm around Morvin's shoulders and smiled warmly down at her.

"Morvin sweetie this is Charlie. He is a very good friend of mine and he is the one who looks after Nafeesa. He's also the reason why I came here in the first place."

Glancing between the two of them, Charlie couldn't believe the change in the small girl. Even though she was still scared and nervous, she wasn't screaming or lashing out like she had done before. She was acting like a completely different child. Not wanting to scare her further, Charlie sank down onto his knees and smiled.

"Hey Morvin it's really nice to see you again. If it's all right with Hermione, I would like to give you a special gift."

Morvin stared warily at the young man as she took in everything about him. He had a warm smile and kind eyes, kneeling on the floor made him seem small and less scary looking. She could hear his heart beating in his chest and knew he wasn't like her or Hermione. He was more like Dumbledore. Suddenly a thought came to her.

Looking straight into his clear blue eyes she asked,

" _Are you a wizard like Albus?"_

Charlie gasped in surprise as he heard the small voice whisper in his mind. Never had he ever experienced her talking to him before. Hermione had told him all about it, but this was the first time he had heard her for himself.

"What the…." He suddenly said, but seeing Hermione vigorously shake her head no, he reeled in his words of shock and coughed subtly. "Sorry tickly throat." He said trying to recover from his faux pas. Turning his attention back to the small girl he smiled again before pulling out his wand and his handkerchief. "Yes I'm a wizard just like Dumbledore, see." Waving his wand, he transfigured the handkerchief into a beautiful yellow rose and held it out to her. "This Morvin isn't just a rose. This is a special rose because the color means friendship. And I would love it if you would consider becoming my friend." He gave her that charming Weasley smile and said, "You don't need to decide right now, you can think about it for a while. But for now I would like you to have this. A beautiful flower for a beautiful flower." He held it out to her again and waited patiently to see if she would accept it from him or not.

Morvin wanted to take the flower but felt unsure. She didn't really know the wizard and didn't think it was right taking things from a stranger. But then again Hermione trusted him and he did look after Nafeesa, so maybe she too could trust him as well.

Tilting her head, she looked up at Hermione who stood with a funny smile on her face. She tugged on Hermione's sleeve to get her attention and when she did she asked,

" _Am I allowed to take the flower from him?"_

Hermione beamed down at her and nodded her head.

"It's a gift for you sweetie and Charlie is a friend, so yes it's alright." She answered, trying to keep her emotions at bay. It was only now that she finally dared let herself hope that the impossible was now possible. That Morvin was in a better mind frame than she had been before.

Slowly and cautiously Morvin moved away from Hermione and began to walk towards Charlie. Every now and then she gazed up at Hermione who simply smiled encouragingly back. Stopping at a safe distance away, Morvin reached a timid hand out and took the rose from Charlie's hand. She brought the rose to her nose and inhaled its surprisingly sweet scent.

" _Thank you so much Charlie it's beautiful."_

He gave her a proud smile at hearing her words and grinned.

"I'm glad you like it but that wasn't the present I was going to give you."

Morvin's eyes widened in surprise not believing that someone wanted to give her gifts. It was surreal. And if she was honest she felt giddy excitement at the thought.

"Come with me and I'll show you." Charlie said offering her his hand.

Hermione went to stop him but Dumbledore pulled her back, and gave her a slight shake of his head. She knew he was right and that she couldn't wrap Morvin up in cotton wool, however much she wanted too. She also knew she would be safe with her friends, but still after everything the small girl had been through, Hermione was still wary for her.

She sighed and took a step backwards watching as Morvin took Charlie's hand cautiously, not quite trusting him yet.

" _Ok."_ She said shyly.

The present Charlie had for her was a gold necklace with a little dragon pendant that held a small ruby in it. It was similar in style to the circlet Hermione wore on her head.

Things had changed after that. Morvin met everyone and although at times she was still scared and nervous, and although she often clung to Hermione, she was opening up around everyone. Including Demetri and Felix.

She was shy yet inquisitive and wanted to know all about everyone and their relationship to Hermione. And even though she liked everyone immensely, not including Hermione, Albus was her other favorite person in the group. She loved the way he dressed and seemed completely enthralled by him.

Just as they all seemed to relax and get on, it was quickly time to say goodbye. Hermione had to sit down with Morvin and explain to her that they were leaving Romania and going back to her home in Volterra. At hearing that Morvin kicked off for the first time since the memory charm had been cast on her. She took a tantrum because she didn't want to leave everyone. It was beginning to feel like home to her and she didn't want to leave to go somewhere that she didn't know.

Hermione hated seeing Morvin like that so it made her wonder about her own selfish motives for wanting to keep her. And as she listened to Morvin's words she wondered if it would be best to leave her here. It would be safer, she knew, than what it would be back at Volterra. Plus Charlie and Phil were here to look after her, as well as Nafeesa, who Hermione knew could be trusted. The only people who wouldn't be here full time, would be herself and Dumbledore.

So with that thought in mind Hermione calmed Morvin down, before sitting next to the girl and proposing that option to her. She would miss the little girl but it wasn't about what she wanted, it was about Morvin herself and what she needed.

"Sweetie I know how much you want to stay here, believe me I would stay here too if I could, but I can't. I have to go back to Volterra, my home, and help my friends with something important." She sighed softly and smiled at Morvin, feeling her heart clench in her chest. "But you don't have to come with me. You can stay here with Uncle Phil and Uncle Charlie, they've already agreed and would love to look after you. Nafeesa will be here as well and I'm sure Albus would come and see you." Her gaze flickered up to Dumbledore who quickly nodded his head in agreement. "And I-" Her voice faltered slightly at her words, not knowing if the promise she was about to make would be broken or not. "I could come and visit as well." She stroked Morvin's cheek lovingly and smiled. "You my sweet girl have friends and a family, your safe and you're loved. But more importantly you're happy and that's all I ever wanted for you. I can't take that away from you now. So if you want to stay here then you can."

The occupants in the room sat in silence as they waited for Morvin to speak. They each had different opinions on what they thought was best for her, but only she could decide. Although she got on well with Felix and Demetri, they knew how the Volturi were going to react to her arrival, and it wasn't going to be good. Although they had become taken with her too, they wanted her to stay here, where they knew she would be safe. It wasn't only for her sake but for Hermione's as well. If Morvin came back to Volterra with them and the reaction was as bad as they feared it would be, seeing Morvin killed would crush Hermione and they couldn't bear to see that happening. Not after everything.

Morvin sat in silence as she thought over her options. It was true she didn't want to leave the safety of the Dragon Sanctuary. She had come to like it here and she trusted her two uncles and the old wizard who she secretly called Grandpa. They felt like family to her. She also loved Nafeesa as well and couldn't stand the thought of not seeing her every day. But no matter how she felt about all of them, the thought of being separated from Hermione was unimaginable to her. Although she wouldn't say this out loud in case of ruining the relationship they shared, Hermione was like the mum she always wanted but never had. Her own mother had other children to look after so she was often overlooked. But with Hermione it was different. She could see how much she cared about her. The way she spoke, the gentle soothing touches she often bestowed upon her. Whenever she was with Hermione she felt happy and safe, and she trusted her completely. Hermione would never hurt her. She didn't know how she knew, she just did. Hermione to her was home.

" _I want to stay with you, I don't want to leave you."_ Morvin's quiet voice said, as she hugged Hermione, placing her head against her chest so she could hear the soothing sound of her heart beating.

Hermione held her tightly and buried her nose in her hair, trying to once again hold back her emotions.

"Are you sure that's what you want sweetie?" Hermione whispered almost hesitantly, afraid that Morvin would change her mind.

" _I'm sure. I just want to be with you."_

The sound of Morvin's words filled Hermione with so much warmth, and she knew that she would do anything for that little girl. Her little girl. Smiling she kissed Morvin's head and rubbed her cheek against her soft curly hair.

"Then it's settled. We leave at dawn." With those final words Felix and Demetri nodded in understanding.

For the journey back to Volterra, Hermione changed back into her normal clothes, packing away the outfit that Charlie had made for her. She didn't think it would be wise to waltz into the Palazzo dei Priori dressed as a dragonrider. She didn't think they would understand nor did she think Aro would appreciate it.

Since she had arrived at the Dragon Sanctuary she had given no real thought to Aro, but now that she was going back home all she could do was think of him. She wondered how he would react to seeing her, and Morvin for that matter. She wondered if he had missed her, if he had been worried and thinking of her while she had been gone. For some reason she hoped he did.

If she was honest with herself, she was nervous but excited to see him again. The thought of being in his presence once more thrilled and excited her. With the way her thoughts were, she was beginning to think that perhaps she could give him, or rather them a chance.

Before they left, Hermione had a private conversation with Dumbledore.

"I need to thank you for everything that you've done for me and for Morvin. I can't express how much it means to me. You saved her life Albus and for that I am eternally grateful to you." Her voice broke as she spoke, and Dumbledore wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"My dear girl you do not have to thank me. Morvin is a wonderful child and it's clear to anyone who looks at you how much you need each other. It has been a pleasure, believe me."

Hermione laughed then said,

"It certainly has. By the way I don't know if you are aware of it or not, but do you know that she calls you Grandpa in secret. She accidentally let it slip during a conversation one time."

Hermione watched with some amusement as Dumbledore's cheeks turned pink, and his eyes sparkled with glee. He had no family of his own so felt incredibly honored at the endearment that was bequeathed to him.

"I feel privileged at being given such a title and I promise I will do my best to live up to it." He swiped away a stray tear not wanting his emotions to overcome him. "Now my dear girl before you depart from here I just want to remind you that you still have friends back at Hogwarts, and should you need us for anything we are there for you. We miss you and love you, and will always think of you as one of our own. And should you need it, Hogwarts will always be your home."

He seemed to look at her with knowing eyes, and once more that day Hermione found herself holding back her emotions. Dumbledore's words meant so much to her, and she knew that they were both true and sincere.

With a shuddering sigh she hugged Dumbledore close to her, suddenly afraid that it could be the last time she would see him.

"I know Albus, thank you so much for that, I will keep your words in mind. I want you to promise me something though." Hermione suddenly said seriously, as she pulled back from his embrace.

"Of course my dear girl. As long as it's in my power to do so."

"Please don't tell anyone about Morvin. I'm not sure how the Volturi will react to her and I don't want news of her existence spreading. It is far too dangerous for anyone to know. So please don't tell anyone about her." She had asked the same thing of Charlie and Phil as well, and they had both promised not to tell anyone of Morvin.

Dumbledore smiled at her and knew he would keep her promise.

"I won't tell anyone; you have my word Hermione."

"Thank you Albus I really do appreciate it." She smiled.

"Come let us rejoin the group. You will be leaving shortly and I'm sure the others will want some time with you before you depart."

"Yes you're right." Hermione agreed as they went to join the rest of their friends.

The plan was that Hermione would apparate back the way they had come starting with only one stop in Romania and that was Arad. Then she would apparate them to Ptuj in Hungary, where Hermione would feed in order to keep her strength up. She would then apparate them to Kranj in Slovenia before stopping to feed in Bologna in Italy one last time. Then last but not least she would apparate them to the Palazzo dei Priori, straight into her rooms where she would get Morvin settled before going to face the three Volturi leaders. Overall if everything went to plan then the journey should only take a few hours, rather than the days it took the first time. They had gotten all the information they would get and hoped that it would be enough to satisfy the three Volturi leaders.

Having said goodbye to everyone there was one last person who Hermione needed to say her farewells to and that of course was Nafeesa. Morvin had already said her goodbye's to her new friend, leaving Hermione and Nafeesa to have a tender moment alone with each other.

So it was with a heavy heart that Hermione and Nafeesa took to the skies one last time, as dragon and rider before she had to leave. Not knowing if that ride would be their last one together. Once she was safely back on the ground, Hermione wrapped her arms around Nafeesa and stroked her hands over her familiar black scaly skin.

"Never did I think I would meet you when I first came here. But I am so glad that I did. For some reason that I can't explain, you have filled a part of me that I didn't even know was missing. You are beautiful and magnificent, and the best friend a girl could have, and I love you." At her words Nafeesa's forked tongue licked Hermione's face, and instead of hearing her familiar giggle, she felt Hermione shudder with pent up emotion. "I'm going to miss you my friend." She whispered as Nafeesa nuzzled into her then huffed out in response.

Albus, Charlie, Felix and Demetri along with Morvin and some other staff came walking over to the wards of the enclosure, as Hermione said her last goodbye.

"Are you ready my little witchling?" Demetri asked, his voice sounding a lot softer than normal.

She quickly wiped the moisture away from her eyes, before turning around to meet the gaze of her friends and offering them a small smile.

"Yes I'm ready." She stretched her arms out to Morvin and picked her up, holding her tightly against her as the little girl wrapped her legs around her waist.

Demetri wrapped one arm tightly around Hermione's back, as Felix wrapped his arm around the other side of her, with Morvin safely tucked between all three of them. With one last glance at Albus, Charlie, and Nafeesa, Hermione quickly apparated them away to Arad, before she could change her mind.

Albus and Charlie simply gazed at the spot where Hermione and the others had been, a mixture of sadness and sorrow filling them. It was true to say that over the course of them being here, they had grown even closer to Hermione and little Morvin and felt a sudden emptiness at their departure. Both wizards knew that war was approaching, and both knew of the possible outcome for Hermione, but neither one wanted to believe it.

Nafeesa's soft whimper broke their spell and Dumbledore was the first to reach her.

"Don't worry my friend we will see her again soon." He reached out his hand and gently stroked her cool skin. She huffed in response and made another pitiful noise before taking off into the sky to settle back into her lonely cave.

The humans were not the only ones to feel the empty void of Hermione and Morvin. For Nafeesa it was so much worse. Her family were gone leaving her all alone, and although she knew it must happen, she had not quite prepared herself for feeling like this. Like a part of herself, her soul was missing. So she turned her back on the wizards and wallowed in the privacy of her cave. Willing the day that she would be reunited with her non-human to come.

Charlie turned his gaze to Dumbledore and smiled knowingly at him.

"Do you think she knows?" He asked.

Dumbledore let out a sad chuckle and shook his head in the negative.

"No I do not think she does my boy."

"Good." Charlie replied before the three wizards headed back to the main building for some food and wine to toast the newly departed group of vampires. Although Dumbledore had his portkey ready, he wouldn't be heading back to Hogwarts until later in the day after a couple of hours sleep. He wanted to see Hermione off safely first before going back to the school to be interrogated. No doubt Remus and Severus would be waiting anxiously for his arrival.

* * *

Apparating with three people was much more exhausting than Hermione thought, and she was glad to have the stops in between to feed. She needed to keep up her energy and also wanted to make sure that Morvin was well fed before they reached the Palazzo, as she didn't know when they would be allowed to feed again.

Travelling didn't take long this time around and before they knew it they were back in the safety of Hermione's quarters.

"I can't believe we're home." Felix said, looking somewhat relieved to be back in the Palazzo.

"Me neither. You done well my little witchling." Demetri said giving her a hug.

Hermione sat down on the couch as she tried to compose herself and stop her head from swimming. Apparating had been more taxing on her than she thought and she just needed a moment to regroup.

Small hands came up to cup her cheeks gently, and as she looked up she saw the worried gaze of Morvin.

" _Are you alright Hermione?"_ She asked, concern lacing her small voice.

Hermione smiled and took Morvin's small hands in her own, kissing the back of both of them affectionately before nodding her head.

"Yes sweetie I'm fine, I just felt a little dizzy with the apparating. I'm fine now though. But more importantly how are you."

Before they had left the Dragon Sanctuary Hermione had apparated several times with Morvin just to let her get used to the feel of it. It had been nothing like this journey, and Hermione knew that if she was feeling the effects of it then so would Morvin be.

" _I'm alright Hermione, honestly. That was fun but don't ask me to do it again anytime soon."_ She gave a small reassuring smile and sat down next to Hermione, who sighed.

"Now that we're back we should go and see the leaders. They'll be wondering where we've gotten too." Hermione turned and looked at Morvin, feeling dread settle down on her. This was the moment of truth. She couldn't hide Morvin from the leaders and she knew that they may not take too kindly to her existence. But Hermione also knew she would not give the small girl up without a fight. "Morvin sweetie Demetri, Felix and I have to go and report back to our Masters. I want you to stay here and not to leave the room. I will put up wards so I'll know if you try and open that door. Do you understand?" Hearing the worry and the warning in Hermione's voice Morvin simply nodded her head, not knowing why she was to stay here and feeling nervous at being left on her own. "I will try and not be too long sweetie, but you need to trust me." She pulled Morvin's small frame into her arms and hugged her before kissing her head. "You can look around my quarters but be careful alright."

" _Alright."_ Her small voice answered in Hermione's mind.

"Let's go." She whispered rising to her feet, while looking to the two male vampires. They nodded their head in understanding and headed out of the door, with Hermione falling closely behind.

She took one more look at the small girl inside before closing the door and making sure it was locked and warded heavily. She was taking no chances of anyone getting inside while she was away.

"Are you ready?" Demetri asked in a small voice, knowing how nervous Hermione was.

She gave him a timid smile in reply and shook her head.

"I'm not really but I have no choice do I?" She whispered, as she gazed back at the closed door longingly. She wanted nothing more than to go back in and apparate Morvin back to the safety of the Dragon Sanctuary. But she couldn't, knowing that Morvin's existence wouldn't stay a secret for long anyway.

"Whatever happens, you have us? Don't forget that my little witchling." Demetri said, knowing that he would be there for her no matter what.

"He's right little witchling. You have us and so does Morvin." Felix agreed.

Feeling grateful for their words, Hermione hugged each of the men in thanks before the three of them took off towards the dome room, not knowing if anyone was there or not. The closer they got however, the more they could hear voices coming from inside.

"It's now or never." Demetri said, putting a reassuring hand on Hermione's shoulder.

With that the two men opened the large doors to the dome room and as one, the three of them stepped through interrupting what looked like a meeting. Volturi members were sitting on chairs with a small aisle going down the middle. Hermione looked forward to see the three leaders sitting on their thrones, Marcus on the left, Caius and Athenodora on the right, with Aro and Sulpicia sitting in the middle.

Her heart clenched at the sight of seeing Aro sitting next to his wife, their hands intertwined like lovers. She had not been expecting to see them looking so close, especially after everything that had happened between her and Aro before she left for Romania.

She turned her attention to Marcus instead, who seemed to be both happy and relieved to see her, as the three of them made their way to the front of the room. He slowly got to his feet and strode towards them before embracing Hermione in a warm fatherly hug.

"Mio angelo you have returned to us at last." He said with a broad smile as he looked over her with a critical eye. Something had changed about her, he could feel it radiating from every part of her. But now was not the time to ask those kind of questions, not in front of an audience anyway. "We were beginning to fear that you wouldn't come back."

She smiled up at the man who she considered to be a father, glad to be back in his calming presence once more.

"There was never a fear of that happening father dear." She answered him truthfully.

Aro watched as Hermione and Marcus reunited once more, but didn't make any attempts to greet her himself. Instead he held on to Sulpicia's hand tightly and tilted his head in annoyance.

"The three of you have finally returned I see. I must confess at how disappointed I am in you. That said, I do hope you have brought us some relevant information otherwise the journey could be classed as a waste of our time." Aro said.

Hermione's eyes narrowed at how cold and unfeeling Aro seemed to be. This was not the same passionate man she remembered before leaving. What could have possibly happened to change him so much?

"I apologise Master Aro." Demetri said bowing his head in respect. "We came across several obstacles while we were there delaying our journey and stay, but we have some information for you as you requested."

"Only some. Then I am disappointed in the three of you." Aro said with a small sigh, almost as if he was bored. "Everyone leave us now; I wish to talk to the three of them alone." He rose to his feet helping Sulpicia stand before kissing her goodbye, directly on the lips.

Hermione watched the scene before her, anger coursing through her veins. She had only been gone a matter of weeks, and now that she was back everything had changed. Had Aro just been using her for his own needs? Had everything he said to her since she arrived at Volterra been a lie. Turning away from them, she tried to control her emotions, as she began to feel the same tingling sensation in the tips of her fingers, at his betrayal. The last thing she wanted to do was lose control of her magic, even if she did think the lying git deserved it.

"I will see you back in our quarters beloved."

Hermione heard the soft sultry tones of Sulpicia say, as she tried hard not to roll her eyes at the sudden show of affection between the two. As she turned her head, she caught the confused expression on Demetri's face, and saw the question in his eyes. She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, feeling her own confusion stir.

"Mio angelo I will see you in a little while. I feel we may have a lot to discuss." Marcus said, leaning in to whisper knowingly in her ear.

"Yes we do." She said in agreement, watching as he left the room with Caius and Athenodora, leaving just Aro and the three travellers alone.

The occupants of the room stayed quiet until the last of the guard members had left, as Aro took his seat once more and looked at the three of them.

"First of all welcome back home but for now I wish only to speak to Hermione. Felix and Demetri go back to your quarters; I want to speak to you both individually."

"Yes Master Aro." Both Felix and Demetri said before leaving Hermione standing alone in front of the Volturi leader.

"Now Hermione let's start with you shall we. Give me your hands." He did not stand up, he simply sat there looking at her expectantly with a steely hard stare. There was none of the searing heat or passion in his eyes that he had held for her before. It was gone and she couldn't understand why.

Slowly she moved towards him and took his hands in hers.

He closed his eyes expecting the normal wave of her thoughts to hit him but received nothing. His powers didn't seem to work on her.

Opening his eyes, he glared at her.

"What is this? Why can't I see your thoughts?" He asked, almost angrily.

She tilted her head and gave him a small smirk.

"That's because I've always been able to control what you see. It wouldn't do well for you to see all my thoughts now would it." She replied tartly, amused to see anger flash in his vibrant red eyes.

"So are you keeping something back from me then Hermione?"

She looked at him and held her head up defiantly. If he wanted to act like they were strangers, then so be it.

"I am keeping lots of things from you Aro, as I'm sure you are keeping things back from me." She saw that same flash of anger in his eyes, as well as an emotion she couldn't put her finger on.

"Very well then. Show me the trip to Romania." This was not a question but a command, one he expected her to follow.

Taking his hands in hers once more she started showing him the beginning of their trip and worked her way to the end, leaving out a few minor details, such as Nafeesa and Morvin. She did include seeing Dumbledore in the memories, but she was able to manipulate them so that they didn't include important information. She didn't want him to learn about Morvin through memories, she wanted to discuss her with him face to face.

He opened his eyes and pulled his hands away, a look of sheer frustration on his face.

"Apart from those who worked at the sanctuary and the old wizard, was that all the magical people you saw while you were there?" He asked.

Her eyes narrowed at him, as she wondered if it was Severus he was asking about. She looked over his face once more, seeing him look void of all emotions and sighed in confusion.

"Yes that was all the magical people I saw, why?" She asked feeling brave.

It was his turn to narrow his eyes at her.

"Then why do I feel like you are hiding something important from me." This was not a question but a statement.

She could lie to him and tell him she wasn't hiding anything, knowing that he would end up finding out the truth when he saw Felix and Demetri's memories. Or she could tell him the truth about Morvin and Nafeesa. With another sigh she made up her mind.

"I am hiding something but I didn't know how to broach the subject with you." She admitted, her eyes downcast as she thought about where to start. "While we were staying at the sanctuary we traced a group of Romanian vampires to a small village, not far from where we were. When we got there they were changing villagers, which we ended up destroying." She paused speaking for a moment, before she began to pace back and forwards in front of him. "While fighting with the leader of the group I performed legilimency on him to see what information he knew and what I saw disgusted me. Look." She whispered holding out her hands for him to take.

Slowly and cautiously he took her small hands in his and closed his eyes, watching in shock and disgust as she replayed her memories of that fight to him. Including the male vampires sickening memories.

He tore his hands out of hers and gasped, trying not to retch at what he had just seen. The Volturi were many things but never would they do such horrible and barbaric things to children. One of their laws was to prevent children being turned, partly because of their safety and risk of exposure and also partly because no child should go through such a painful experience.

Composing himself he turned back to Hermione and asked,

"And where is the child now?" He of course was referring to Morvin.

Hermione looked defiantly into Aro's eyes, knowing this was it.

"She is here with me and is under my care. I want to keep her as my charge. Morvin, she's not at risk of exposing us. She feeds like I do, she has lived amongst humans, she has good control of herself, and I can look after her. I know I can."

Aro looked at her confidence and her posture and knew instantly that she would not give the little girl up without a fight. But the laws of the Volturi could not be broken, especially this close to war.

Rising to his feet he sighed, tilting his head to the side to look at her, he said

"I am disappointed in you Hermione; after all you know fine well what our laws are regardless of how you may feel. She is an immortal child and therefore must be eliminated. The child will be destroyed. Now if you don't mind I must see to Felix and Demetri now." He turned his back on her and took a couple of steps away before she called out his name in anger. Turning to glare at her, he could feel her magic rippling around them, he could hear and feel it crackling in the air. The sight was both terrifying and mesmerising to behold.

"When did you turn into such a cold hearted bastard?" She asked him angrily.

He simply stood and laughed at her, quirking an eyebrow up in response.

"I have always been a cold hearted bastard my dear, it's just that now you are seeing me for who and what I am?" He said in that boyishly charming voice of his.

"Why are you doing this to me?" She whispered.

"Because I can and because I am the leader of the Volturi. What would my people say if I changed one rule for the likes of you?"

Now it was Hermione's turn to quirk an eyebrow. This was not the man she had left; this was not the man she had begun to fall in love with. Whoever this was, was an imposter and she didn't like him one bit.

"For the likes of me." She said sarcastically. "If that's how you feel then fine, I will leave Volterra, and let you fight this war without my help. Let's see how far you will get when you no longer have the likes of me hanging from your coat tails." The venom poured from her voice as she spoke, unable to rein in her temper.

Aro knew that he had pushed her too far, but that is what he wanted. He wanted to put distance between them and he had achieved that better than he could have thought.

"Very well then how about we make a deal. You may keep the child if you want, but be prepared for the backlash. And in return I want something as well."

He watched as her body stiffened and she glared up at him.

"What do you want in return Aro?" She hissed out.

He gave her that boyish grin then said,

"You. I want you to promise that you will never leave Volterra again, you won't go to Romania to see your friends, you won't go back to your beloved school in England, and you won't see any of those magical people again. You will stay here in Volterra, you will become one of us fully, and you will fight beside us. Once the battle is over, the same rules will still apply. Agree to that and you can keep the girl." He grinned at her, a look full of malice as he watched the emotions play across her face.

She knew that when she first came here she was allowed to leave at any time to go back to Hogwarts, but to lose that choice and be a prisoner here, could she really agree to that? Then there was Nafeesa and all of her friends. Could she really never see them again? And what about Severus? Was Morvin really worth all of that?

Hanging her head in sorrow, as the overwhelming feeling of guilt overtook her, she tried to push back her emotions but failed. Finally, after a moment or two she whispered,

"You have my word that I won't leave Volterra in exchange for Morvin."

He grinned, his smile wide and smug as his red eyes gleamed at her. She suddenly felt like she had just made a deal with the devil and hated herself for it.

"Excellent. Now I really must go." Once again he turned his back on her and strode away, but before he fully disappeared out of sight Hermione heard him say, "Oh and remember I am Master Aro to you."

He left the room followed by his echoing footsteps, leaving Hermione to drop to her knees as the weight of what she had just agreed to crushed her. What had she just done? She never thought she could hate someone as much as she hated Aro right now. How could she go from possibly loving him to suddenly hating him in a single instant?

After a while she finally stood to her feet and pushed all thoughts of Aro Volturi to the back of her mind, determined that she would no longer dwell on him anymore, despite how hard that might be. He had made his choice and in return she had to remind herself of the reason why she had just agreed to his demands. All she wanted to do now was get back to Morvin and introduce her to Marcus, who she hoped would treat the little girl with more kindness than what Aro just did.

With that she left the dome room feeling determined and invigorated, not noticing the figure hidden in the shadows watching her retreating back.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

Aro strode through the halls of the Palazzo quickly and silently with purpose, wanting nothing more than to get as far away from Hermione as he possibly could. Just now he couldn't stand to be in the same room as her and wanted to put some distance between them. He also needed to speak to Demetri, which was his only priority at the moment.

His face was a mask of perfect calmness despite the fact that he was seething with anger inside. He made his way further down into the bowels of the Palazzo to Demetri's quarters, determined to get some answers.

He knocked on the door quickly and waited patiently for Demetri to open the door to him, which didn't take long. Once inside he turned to the male vampire and watched as he shut the door behind them.

"You wished to see me Master Aro?" Demetri asked quietly, unaware of the mood that Aro was in.

"Yes I did Demetri." Aro replied, his voice the normal velvety smoothness it usually was. Aro didn't take his eyes off the other vampire as he reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket to pull out a folded piece of paper. "While the three of you were away on your mission this arrived for me along with a gift." He handed it over to Demetri, carefully watching the other males' expression as he did so. "What do you know about this?" He asked.

Demetri opened up the piece of paper and read the writing, his brows furrowing together as a frown fell upon his face.

"I don't know anything about this Master Aro. Have you any idea who sent it?" Demetri asked.

Before he knew what was happening Aro had Demetri by the throat, quickly pinning him up against the door. His perfectly calm face turning to one of burning anger.

"Do not lie to me Demetri, for I have no time for liars at the moment. This letter was written by someone who knows, and the only people who know are the three Volturi leaders, you and Hermione. Since it is about Hermione, I doubt she would write such a thing. And since the envelope was postmarked Romania, that leaves only you. Did you send it hmm, is it some kind of joke or warning?" Aro hissed out in anger.

Demetri didn't dare try to struggle from Aro's grasp knowing that if he did, he would automatically be sentenced to death for going against a Volturi leader, and not just any leader but Aro. So he just stood there wincing in pain.

"Of course I didn't send it Master Aro. Hermione is like family to me, I would never do or say such a thing I swear."

Aro gazed into Demetri's face, seeing only honesty in his features. He was just as worried and unsure as the Volturi leader himself. Because of that, Aro slackened his grip around Demetri's throat and leered at the other male.

"Then if it wasn't you then perhaps it was your lover hmm. No doubt you told him about what has been going on."

Demetri's eyes widened and he tried to shake his head, but was stopped by Aro tightening his grip on him once again.

"No I promise you, Felix would never do something like that. He loves Hermione just as much as I do. He does know but that's only because both me and Hermione trust him. Please Master Aro you must believe me, I know Felix better than anyone else and he wouldn't do such a thing."

Once again Aro searched the other male's face for any sign of dishonesty but saw none. He wanted to believe that neither Felix nor Demetri had anything to do with the letter, as they were two loyal members of the Volturi and were powerful allies to have. He needed them especially now since they were so close to War.

"I want to believe you Demetri." He said, letting go of the male's' throat to run his hand down his cheek instead. "But I need to see everything that happened while you were away. Maybe if I'm satisfied I will not go and pay a visit to your lover." Aro took a couple of steps backwards and held out his hands, waiting for Demetri to do the same.

"Of course Master Aro I have nothing to hide." He whispered, stretching out his own shaky hands to grasp Aro's.

Aro wrapped his hands over Demetri's and shut his eyes, waiting for his power to come forth so that he could see all of Demetri's thoughts and memories. Image after image flashed through his mind, as he witnessed everything the trio had gotten up to since they had been away. Including the dragon, which Hermione had managed to keep secret from him.

Once he had seen everything that he needed to see, Aro pulled back feeling dizzy and nauseous, as he leaned against a chair for support, while his thoughts ran freely through his mind.

"What have you done?" He whispered sadly, squeezing his eyes shut in contemplation.

Demetri stood where he was, making no sudden movements in case Aro should turn on him again. But seeing the Volturi leader looking so stricken and hearing him whisper out a question, he asked,

"What do you mean Master Aro?"

Forgetting the other male was in the room Aro stood up, not wanting to show any signs of weakness in front of his guard. He lifted his chin and looked straight into Demetri's eyes.

"The night of the ball Alice showed me a vision that she and Hermione shared. In this vision during the battle Hermione died surrounded by a wall of flames. Don't you think it's curious that while you three were in Romania she befriends a fire breathing dragon?"

Demetri's eyes widened in horror as Aro's words sank in and realization dawned on him.

"You think the dragon has something to do with that vision. I saw Nafeesa and Hermione interact, she would never do anything to hurt her."

Aro raised his eyebrow at the other vampire's use of the dragons' name. He sounded almost as if he cared for the wild beast.

"Maybe the beast would not hurt her intentionally but I know what I saw from the vision I seen."

Demetri sighed and knew what he was about to say wouldn't go down well with the Volturi leader but he had to say it anyway. He was there, he saw Nafeesa and knew without a doubt that she would never hurt Hermione unintentionally or not.

"I apologize for sounding rude Master Aro but I can assure you that Nafeesa would never hurt Hermione. They share such a unique bond and Nafeesa is so protective of her. There is just no way she would ever cause the death of her rider."

Aro's mind was already made up on the matter and it would not be swayed. He had already gotten Hermione to promise that she would never leave Volterra or the Palazzo.

"Even so, she will never be with that beast again. We have come to an arrangement of sorts that will prohibit her from returning to the Dragon Sanctuary. That is my final say on the matter."

Demetri had to stop himself from frowning at his Master's words, not liking the sound of them at all. He wanted to ask what he meant by that, but knew the leader of the Volturi would not divulge that kind information to him. He would just have to wait and ask Hermione about it himself. So instead Demetri said,

"Master Aro just a suggestion but couldn't Hermione use the dragon to help us win the War against the Romanians? With our collective powers and the dragon, we would be able to take them all out. The War would be quick and painless for us."

Aro frowned and glared at the vampire before him.

"Did you not just hear a single word I just said Demetri. For Hermione's safety she must stay away from that beast. She is going to die at the battle surrounded by a wall of flames otherwise. Maybe that happens because she rides the dragon into battle. Do you honestly want to take that chance? Do you really want to risk her life?" Aro said, with the last question asked in barely a whisper.

Now that he had heard Aro's reasons for not wanting Hermione to have any contact with Nafeesa, he understood it better. He could not fault Aro's reasons, even if he didn't like them. He would never risk Hermione's life. He would rather die himself than see her hurt.

"I agree Master Aro." Demetri whispered, feeling like he was somehow betraying both Nafeesa and Hermione.

"Good. Now about the letter. I believe that you didn't write or send it, and I believe that Felix didn't either. But since I don't know who did, I will be watching you both. Do not discuss what you have read with anyone including Felix and Hermione, especially not Hermione. Am I clear?" Aro asked, although it was more a demand than an actual question.

"Yes of course I promise not to tell anyone. And I will keep an eye out for anything suspicious as well." Demetri said, his head held high as he took his responsibility over Hermione's safety seriously.

"Good, now one more thing before I leave. I must ask what happened in one of the memories I saw. Hermione was standing in front of one of the Romanians, there was thunder and lighting and then she hit him with a ball of light. What exactly happened and what was that?" Aro asked, still intrigued by what he had seen now that his anger had dissipated slightly.

Demetri shook his head slowly then said,

"Honestly I don't know what that was. One minute they were fighting and the next she was looking straight into his eyes doing that mind reading thing that she does. She let him go and became incredibly upset and angry. The wind picked up and it turned dark, then the thunder and lightning started and a bolt hit the ground in front of her. The next thing to happen was a blue-white light appearing in Hermione's hands, before she let it go straight into him. Nothing happened at first but then you saw what happened to him. It was fast acting and painful, turning him into ash. I've never seen anything like it before in my life." Demetri admitted. "I did hear the old wizards' explanation when he spoke to Charlie later on. He said that she always had this power it had just never manifested before. Not until Morvin came along and evoked strong emotions in her." Demetri admitted.

Aro stood listening as he stroked his chin absentmindedly. So Hermione had developed a new power and the young girl seemed to be the key to releasing it. With her power they could easily win the War against the Romanians quickly and efficiently without loss of lives on their side. He just needed to figure out how he could use this knowledge to his advantage.

Finally, after being lost in his thoughts for a moment, he turned to Demetri and smiled that charming boyish smile, as if nothing had just occurred between them. He wanted to believe that neither Felix nor Demetri had written the letter, but that didn't mean he did. From now on he would be keeping a watchful eye on them. Aro was a suspicious person by nature and even though he was no closer to finding out who the perpetrator was, it still begged the question if it wasn't Felix or Demetri, then who was it?

"Thank you for all of your help Demetri I appreciate it. I will go and speak to Felix but I promise not to harass him. Remember though do not speak to anyone about the letter and keep an eye out for anything suspicious. If you find out anything unusual then report it to me only. Do I make myself clear?"

Demetri nodded and stepped away from the door allowing Aro to pass through.

"Perfectly clear Master Aro."

With a nod of his head Aro left Demetri's quarters and headed next door to Felix's. Shutting the door behind him, Demetri slumped down into the chair and sat bent over, his head in his hands as he went over everything that Aro had just told him. The letter was bad enough but then so was the vision Hermione had of her death. Why had she not told him or Felix? Why did she keep it a secret? Did she not trust them like she said she did? So many unanswered questions ran through his head, as Demetri just sat thinking everything through feeling helpless and not knowing what he could do to help her.

Meanwhile elsewhere in the Palazzo as Aro interrogated Felix and Demetri sat in contemplation, Hermione had left the dome room and walked back to her quarters using the longer route, as she tried to get her feelings under control.

At first she had been distraught at the way Aro had treated her, and at the deal she was forced to make with him. She let her human emotions get the better of her but now that she was away from him and alone with her thoughts and feelings, all she felt now was an angry determination.

She would not let Aro treat her like that ever again, and as for the deal she would not be honoring it. She knew that she could not leave Volterra just now. There were too many people in the Volturi that she cared for, and leaving them just before a War was cowardly. If they lost because of her she would never forgive herself. It wasn't just about the Volturi either, if the Romanians came to power then muggles would be threatened then the magical world. No she couldn't let that happen. So she would stay and fight alongside the Volturi and her friends, then once it was all over she would take Morvin and just disappear.

She knew that the Volturi guard would be able to track her down, but she would fight them if it came down to it. She would protect Morvin and her friends in the wizarding world no matter the cost. She wasn't as weak or as stupid as Aro seemingly believed her to be, and if it wasn't for his little ultimatum she would never have thought of turning her back on the Volturi. But he had pushed her into this and so therefore he must deal with the consequences.

Now that Hermione had everything figured out in her head, she felt a lot calmer as she prepared to see Morvin. The last thing the little girl needed was to see Hermione so upset and angry, as she didn't want to frighten her after everything.

So now that she was more settled Hermione made her way back to her quarters. As she approached Aro's quarters, which were before her own, she had to push back the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her again. She couldn't think of him anymore, so looking straight ahead she went to walk passed his door, knowing that he was not there, until suddenly the door to his rooms opened wide, showing Sulpicia standing looking beautiful with a serene smile on her face.

"Hermione I'm so glad to see you, I thought I would have missed you. Could you come into my rooms for a moment, so that I could have a quick word with you?" Hermione looked from Sulpicia to her own door, worried about how Morvin was faring being all alone in her quarters. Sensing her hesitation Sulpicia put her hand on Hermione's arm and smiled sweetly. "Please, it will only take a moment."

Knowing that if they didn't speak now, Sulpicia would only try and catch her again later. So wanting it over and done with quickly so that she could get back to Morvin, she nodded her head in agreement and followed Sulpicia into Aro's quarters.

She tried not to look around the familiar room, but a couple of Sulpicia's things caught her attention. Obviously the married couple were sharing them again, causing Hermione to become annoyed once more. Aro had played her for a fool and she had fallen for it, despite her hesitancy in the beginning. She should have followed her instincts back then, but she didn't and she was an idiot for it.

"What would you like to discuss Sulpicia?" Hermione asked, turning to look at the other female.

Sulpicia smiled at Hermione, but it was not a warm or inviting smile, it was one of smug victory.

"I just want to apologize for my husband's behavior towards you. But you see he always comes back to me in the end."

Hermione tried not to blanch at the other woman's words, as she looked at her in surprised confusion.

"Excuse me." She muttered, as Sulpicia let out a small chuckle.

"You heard me Hermione. I know that before you left to go to Romania there was something going on between you and my husband. You aren't the first and you certainly won't be the last." Hermione's eyes widened in shock at the other woman's words, causing her to laugh again. "Please tell me you knew about my husband's wandering ways." When Hermione said nothing Sulpicia grinned maliciously. "What, did you think you were special or something? That was a very foolish thing for you to do."

Hermione frowned, not willing to stand and be insulted.

"I don't know what you think happened between Aro and me but we were most certainly not having an affair. I don't care what has happened between the two of you before, but whatever it was does not include me." Hermione said quietly, a tone which if Ron or Harry were there, would be able to say meant danger.

"I'm sure that's what you believe but I am not stupid. I have seen it happen too many times before. Aro finds a beautiful woman with powers irresistible. He seduces them and manipulates them to join the Volturi, he may sleep with them or whisper sweet nothings in their ear, in order to get what he wants. Once he does, he forgets all about them and returns to _me_ , the person that matters to him the most. We are married and we love each other. Nothing will ever come between that." The smile had gone from Sulpicia's beautiful face, as she stood looking at Hermione with a small degree of hostility. "As I said before you are not the first nor will you be the last. So how did he seduce you, did he sleep with you, or was it stolen kisses and touches. Perhaps it was whispered words of love and devotion. Or perhaps he used the 'you are my mate card.'" At the look on Hermione's face Sulpicia let out a mocking laugh. "Oh my poor dear, he certainly gave you the full force of his charm. You must have been playing hard to get for him to do that. And let me guess you believed everything he said." Sulpicia shook her head and sneered. "You are more foolish than I thought. Perhaps you should have stayed with your wizard."

At the mention of Severus, Hermione instantly tensed up. Although they weren't together she knew that he loved her. She had been so swept up by Aro and his words, that she had completely disregarded Severus's feelings for her. She had disregarded her own feelings for him as well, like they were nothing. She knew what he had been through in the past with Lily and James, and only now thanks to Sulpicia did she realize that she was no better than what they were.

"Thank you for clearing a few things up for me. I can't tell you how helpful you have been." Hermione said truthfully, feeling suddenly ashamed of her actions. "Believe me I will not make such a mistake again." With that she turned on her heel, and left Sulpicia standing there.

Once the door to their quarters was shut firmly behind, Hermione leaned back against the wall and squeezed her eyes shut. What had she done? Sulpicia was right, she truly was a bigger fool than she realized. And she had no-one to blame but herself.

"Hermione what were you doing in there? Are you alright?" A voice said, breaking her out of her thoughts.

Opening her eyes, she saw Marcus looking at her, his face full of worry and concern.

She smiled slightly at him and nodded.

"I was just talking to Sulpicia and she helped me clear up a couple of things. I'm fine honestly." She moved away from the wall and wrapped her arms around Marcus, glad of his calm reassuring presence.

He gently stroked the curls on her head, knowing that she was lying. He looked at the door to Aro's quarters and frowned, knowing that whatever vile jealous things Sulpicia had just said, had hurt Hermione. He wasn't sure what was going on but knew something was. He would speak to Aro and see what he knew.

"Perhaps we should move into your quarters so that we can talk in private. I have missed you so much while you have been away."

Hermione's body tensed once again as she looked at the door to where Morvin was waiting for her. Although she loved and trusted Marcus, she was still incredibly nervous about how he was going to react to seeing Morvin. She hoped that he would be just as accepting of the small girl as he was with her.

Looking both ways down the corridor, she cast a discreet silencing charm around them, knowing that nosey ears were always listening. Once satisfied she turned a serious gaze onto Marcus then said,

"Before we go into my quarters there's something I must tell you first."

Marcus gazed at his surrogate daughter, worry and fear etched across his face. Since the trio had returned the atmosphere in the Palazzo had changed, and he didn't like this change. Something was happening that he didn't know about, and seeing the way Hermione was acting now, didn't ease his worries.

"You know you can tell me anything mio angelo. I am here for you always." He whispered, taking her hand in his.

She smiled warmly up at him and sighed contently.

"I know you are and I really do appreciate it. Honestly I don't know what I would do without you in my life." She whispered truthfully. With a small shake of her head, she rid herself of the maudlin thoughts and gazed up at him once more. "I digress sorry. While we were in Romania we came across some of their coven members killing a whole village. To cut a long story short the leader of this group was sexually and physically abusing young female children, turning them for his own twisted pleasure. One small child called Morvin was chained up in a room, she was treated no better than an animal. She was filthy, smelly, starving and scared. I-I couldn't just leave her like that. So I took her away from that place. But she was so mentally scarred by what had happened, I thought I might lose her. So I wrote to Dumbledore for help and he came and performed a memory charm on her. Although she can't remember what happened, she still shows physical signs such as being shy and nervous, especially around men. She doesn't talk to people out loud and speaks through the mind instead. She is an amazing child and deserves a better life than what she had. So I brought her back here to Volterra with me, and right now she is waiting inside for me to come back to her."

She looked nervously from Marcus to the door and then back again, as she waited for a reply. His eyebrows furrowed and he frowned, not out of anger but out of consideration.

"You brought her back here, to the Palazzo. Does Aro know?" He asked quietly.

"Yes. At first he wasn't happy and wanted her destroyed but then we made a deal." She looked away from Marcus not wanting to meet his gaze afraid of what he might see, but he had already caught the simpering anger boiling to the surface.

Placing a finger on her chin, he gently tilted her head so that she was looking at him once again.

"What was the deal Hermione?" He asked softly, knowing what his brother was like.

She sighed, knowing that she could not hide the truth from him.

"In exchange for keeping Morvin with me, I promised to never leave the Palazzo or Volterra. I promised to never go back into the magical world and see my friends again."

Marcus shut his eyes and sighed, he definitely would be having words with Aro soon.

"Hermione." He whispered sadly.

"I know what I did but please understand, I had to do it. I need to protect my girl." Hermione said with determination.

Marcus couldn't help but admire Hermione and understood exactly how she felt. After all he thought of her as a daughter and knew the feeling of loving and protecting a child. Hermione was his girl and he would have done the same thing in her shoes. Perhaps he would gain not only a daughter but also a granddaughter as well, something he would have never dared to hope for.

"I know mio angelo, I would do the same thing for you.' He said with a small smile. "So would you allow me to meet Morvin?" He asked, accepting the situation completely.

She gave him a bright smile and hugged him tightly to her.

"Thank you." She whispered, before cancelling the silencing charm and the wards to her room.

With a steady hand she opened the door to her quarters and stepped inside with Marcus following closely behind.

Morvin was sitting on the couch reading a book on her lap, and when she saw Hermione she greeted her with a wide smile before running into her arms.

Hermione scooped her up and held her close, relishing in the feel of the small body against her. There was no doubt in her mind, this was her girl, she felt it in her heart.

"Hello sweetie I missed you too." She said with a smile.

Pulling away Morvin looked up at the pleasant face of Marcus, and suddenly felt nervous and scared. Nuzzling her face into the side of Hermione's neck she asked,

" _Who is that?"_

Aware of the other body in the room, Hermione pulled away from Morvin and stood up, with Morvin wrapping herself tightly around her body.

"This sweetie is my father Marcus. When I first came here I didn't know anyone. I was all alone and sad, but Marcus adopted me as his daughter. He is a very nice and kind man, and he means a lot to me. So it would be nice if my two favorite people could get on well together."

Morvin turned a curious gaze onto the tall man and took in the sight of him. He was tall and slightly forbidding, but he had a kind face and soft eyes. He had long wavy hair but no beard like Dumbledore. If what Hermione said was true, then Marcus was a good person who Morvin wouldn't mind getting to know better. So with that she stuck out a small nervous hand and said,

" _Hello Marcus, it's very nice to meet you."_

Although Marcus had been told about Morvin speaking through the mind, he had not expected to hear such a sweet innocent voice so clearly in his mind, the way that he did. He gave her a small smile and took her delicate hand in his, and shook it.

"Hello Morvin it is very nice to meet you too. Hermione was telling me lots of lovely things about you, and I am so very happy in finally get to meet the wonderful girl from all those stories."

With that the ice between Marcus and Morvin had broken, and the three of them spent a comfortable evening together. Whether it was because of what Hermione had told Morvin, or whether it was simply Marcus's relaxed and kind personality, Morvin seemed to take to him quicker than she did Dumbledore, which was surprising since she adored the old wizard.

All Hermione had to do was sit back and relax with a content smile on her face, as the two people she cared most about interacted and got to know each other better. Everything else that happened that day, everything that she had been thinking and feeling previously left as she basked in the comfort of being with Marcus and Morvin.

How could she have ever worried about Marcus's reaction to her, he was unlike anyone she had ever known. Having him on their side made things a lot easier and brought comfort in knowing that she and Morvin had his support, along with Felix and Demetri's. It was only the rest of the Volturi and the vampire world that she still had to convince.

* * *

Meanwhile back at Hogwarts Dumbledore had arrived safely back at the castle, just in time for dinner being served. He went back to his chambers and freshened himself up before heading down to the Great Hall.

Since the students wouldn't be arriving for another couple of days, the hall was still empty with only a handful of students and Professors sitting.

Moving across the hall, he sat down on his normal chair between Minerva and Severus, and tried not to smile when he felt the eyes of Severus immediately upon him. He knew that both he and Remus would be badgering him with questions, but right now he didn't want to answer any in front of the small amount of students there were at the table. Plus, he wanted to eat first since he was famished from his travels.

So turning to look pointedly at both the wizards on his right hand side, he held up his hand to them before either one could speak then said,

"I am happy to answer any questions you might have, but not here and not now. It is neither the time nor the place for this conversation. Also I wish to eat first."

With that he turned away and began to fill his plate up before beginning to eat and chat to Minerva on his left. All the while he could feel Severus tense and frustrated sitting next to him. The young wizard had to learn that patience was a virtue, something that he seemed to lack.

Once dinner was over and all the students had left the Great Hall, the moment Dumbledore rose from his chair, the two wizards on his right also got to their feet, following him like two faithful puppies. They walked in silence to the gargoyle protecting the Headmaster's office, and climbed the spiral staircase in an awkward fashion.

The moment the door to the office had closed, Severus turned his attention to the Headmaster, while Dumbledore and Remus took a seat.

"Well what did Hermione need you for? Is she alright?" He began to ask.

Dumbledore chuckled and shook his head in dismay causing the young wizard to sneer.

"Really Severus if something was wrong do you honestly believe that I would be so calm now. Hermione is fine, in fact she is better than I have ever seen her. She is content and dare I say it, settled."

Severus frowned at the Headmaster's words. It wasn't that he didn't believe the old man, it was just Dumbledore had been away a lot longer than expected. And he had read Hermione's letter beforehand seeing the desperation in her written words for himself.

"If that is the case then why did she want to see you so desperately Albus? Something must have happened to cause such a reaction from her?"

Dumbledore thought over everything he had witnessed during his time away and let out a hearty chuckle, to the bewilderment of Remus and Severus.

"Oh I dare say some things did happen to Hermione but none of it was bad, I can assure you of that. Please Severus take a seat so that I can talk to you properly, without you burning a hole in my floor."

Grudgingly Severus took the seat next to Remus and folded his arms in a huff like a petulant child.

"Two things happened to Hermione." He lied, missing out the story of Morvin. He promised her that he would keep Morvin's existence a secret and was determined to do so, until she was ready to tell everyone herself. "The first is, do you remember the first challenge for the Triwizard Tournament when Harry was in it." He asked, his baby blue eyes twinkling madly.

Both Remus and Severus were staring at the Headmaster as if he was a crazy old man, not knowing what that had to do with Hermione.

"Yes." Remus finally said giving Dumbledore a curious look.

"Well do you remember the dragon Harry had during the tournament?"

Remus frowned then said,

"I wasn't at Hogwarts during that time but I remember Harry writing to Sirius to say that he had to steal an egg from a Hungarian Horntail."

Severus frowned at both men then said,

"I remember seeing it but what on earth has that got to do with Hermione."

Dumbledore chuckled again at Severus's impatience, as he wanted nothing more than to get straight to the point.

"Well my dear fellow, that dragon is still at the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary."

Both of Severus's eyebrows rose to his hairline as he asked,

"Did it attack her?"

Remus suddenly went pale at that thought, until Dumbledore chuckled once again.

"Far from it my boy. Hermione and Nafeesa, that's what she called the dragon, became friends, familiars even. They have a very strong and unique bond with each other, so much so that Hermione is now Nafeesa's rider." He sighed wistfully then said, "I saw it all for myself and it was such a magnificent sight to behold. Not only that but Nafeesa is the alpha, and Charlie gave Hermione the circlet of the alpha to wear, although she doesn't know what it means yet. She will find out in due time, but now is not that time."

Both wizards stared at him in stunned silence, contemplating what Dumbledore had just told them.

"Hermione is a vampire witch dragonrider. Bloody hell." Remus said running his hand through his sandy colored hair.

Dumbledore smiled and nodded his head.

"She is indeed Remus."

"And you say that you saw her riding this dragon." Severus inquired.

"I did indeed see her." Dumbledore said proudly, already knowing where Severus was going with this.

"Then would you show us your memories in the pensieve."

Dumbledore would have to tweak them first so that none of the memories showed Morvin in them. It would take time but it wasn't hard to do.

"Yes but I will show you them tomorrow, as tonight I am far too tired after travelling, and you know how exhausting it is removing memories from one's head."

Severus didn't look at all pleased with this, but knew that he had no other option if he wanted to see the memories for himself. To be honest if what Dumbledore said was true then he was worried and anxious about it.

"Albus have you considered the possibility that the prophecy Trelawney had is because of that dragon." He asked solemnly.

Dumbledore frowned as he became lost in thought. Honestly he had never linked the dragon to the prophecy before, but now that Severus had pointed it out, it somehow seemed glaringly obvious.

"Don't worry Severus I will speak to Charlie regarding Nafeesa. Besides Hermione knows what she's doing, if she knows about the prophecy, which I'm sure she does, she will have something planned. Have faith in her my dear friend." He said, not sure who he was trying to convince.

Severus sat there and frowned despite hearing Dumbledore's words. Hermione was reckless when it came to her life, he had seen that many times before. Even if she did know about the prophecy, he knew she would still do whatever it took, despite the consequences. It was something he both loved and hated about her.

"And what was the other thing that happened Albus." Remus asked breaking the silence that had fallen on the room.

Dumbledore turned to look at the wizard and gave him a small smile.

"It seems that Hermione's main power has finally manifested itself at last. Felix, Demetri and Hermione were fighting a group of vampires. She became angry and the change in her emotions impacted on her abilities. She flung this ball of light at one of the vampires and basically caused him to explode from the inside out turning him into ash. If she uses her power during the battle in Romania she will annihilate the enemy quickly. Hermione is incredibly powerful and when she developed this new power she panicked, fearing that she would turn into the next Dark Lord. I told her that as long as she still loved, and as long as her heart still beat in her chest then she would never become dark."

This statement intrigued Severus, not the part about Hermione's new power but the part about Hermione still being able love. Hearing Dumbledore's words filled him with hope. Could she still love him he wondered? Could he dare let himself hope only to be crushed once more by her?

"Severus my boy you have to let Hermione go. She is not like us anymore and is what she is." Dumbledore said sadly, knowing what was going through his mind.

"Is she happy though?" Severus asked.

Looking at the young wizard thoughtfully Dumbledore knew that he had to break the information Charlie had told him, gently. He needed to know before he was hurt again.

Sighing Dumbledore nodded his head.

"Yes she is happy Severus, and I have it on good authority that Aro the Volturi leader is her mate. Despite what bond she may have had with you, it is nothing compared to the bond that she has with him? I'm sorry my boy, but you really must let her go."

Severus could feel the cold icy vice like grip squeezing his heart at Dumbledore's words. Despite the pain that he felt, he was determined to make damn sure that he wouldn't show his feelings in front of the two sympathetic looking wizards. All he wanted was the sanctuary of his chambers and a bottle of Ogden's finest to numb the pain. He always knew that he might lose her to the vampire world, but never did he imagine losing her to that sneaky bastard.

"Thank you Albus." Severus said rising to his feet, while avoiding all eye contact with the old wizard. "If you don't mind I will take my leave." With that he turned on his heels and stormed out of the Headmasters office, slamming the door closed behind him as he went.

Remus went to move from the chair in order to follow Severus, but was quickly stopped by Dumbledore who shook his head sadly.

"Let him be Remus. He needs some time alone."

Remus sighed and once again ran his hand through his hair.

"Will he be alright though?" He asked with genuine sympathy and concern, for the man he now considered to be a friend.

Dumbledore sighed heavily before slumping down into his chair and summoning two empty glasses and a bottle of firewhisky. Pouring them a good amount each, he took a sip, relishing in the burning sensation going down his throat.

"I hope so I really do."

With another sigh the two men sat in a solemn silence sipping on their firewhisky, while down in the Dungeons Severus Snape was doing the exact same thing. All three wizards were thinking about the same subject but in a different context. The only thing that all three knew for sure was that sooner, rather than later things would finally come to a head for Hermione, and important decisions would have to be made.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty**

In the days following the trio returning back to Volterra, Demetri and Hermione sat down and had a heart to heart about everything that Aro had said. At first Demetri was disappointed that Hermione hadn't told him about the vision herself, if he had known, then he would have been even more reluctant to let her wander off into the dragon enclosure that housed Nafeesa. But he hadn't known, so he didn't try and stop her as much as he could have done.

Hermione explained the vision to Demetri and told him everything that she felt and how worried she had been about it. She also tried to reassure him that the reason she had these visions was so that she could try and prevent them from happening. Even knowing that to be true, it didn't stop either of them from worrying however.

Demetri then went on to ask her why she didn't tell him or Felix about the vision after she had it. He wondered if it was because she didn't trust them as much as she said she did. Sensing where his thoughts were heading Hermione was quick to reassure him, telling Demetri that it wasn't because of a lack of trust but because she didn't want them to worry about her, not when they had to worry about themselves and focus on winning the War.

As he listened to her reason for keeping the vision a secret, he began to understand why she did what she did. As always she was protecting them, making sure that she was putting them first instead of herself. Although he loved and admired her for that, he wanted her to think of herself for once. They would be alright as long as they had her, they needed her.

After their discussion Hermione made Demetri promise not to tell anyone else, especially not Felix. They all had enough to think about at the moment rather than focusing on her. She would be alright knowing that her friends were safe.

Days turned into weeks as time quickly passed by, and with it tension and excitement had built up within the walls of the Palazzo. The Volturi guard were practicing their fighting and preparing for the battle ahead and soon the other covens would be joining them. Once they arrived they would be setting off to Romania, to an army of newborns who were eagerly awaiting them.

The news of Morvin's existence hadn't gone down well with the Volturi guard when they first heard about her. It seemed that the guard members did not trust the small child, knowing how dangerous an immortal child could be. They also didn't understand why Aro of all people would allow such a child to exist, knowing that it was him who made the law against them in the first place. It wasn't until one fateful day during training that they finally understood his reasons.

Marcus, Felix and Demetri had all been worried about the animosity Hermione had been receiving ever since the news of Morvin had spread amongst the Volturi members. They knew she could handle herself, as the guard members were nervous enough around her as it was, without wanting to make her angry.

Hermione knew that they were curious to see the small girl but she kept Morvin out of sight, by keeping her hidden away in her quarters which were safely warded. Despite the wards a couple of low ranking guard members had tried to break into her rooms, and since then Hermione didn't want to leave the small girl unattended, in fear that they might actually succeed in getting to her.

It was during one training lesson that Hermione decided to take Morvin with her, she could sit with Demetri or Marcus, where she could still keep an eye on her and know that she was safe.

The moment that they entered the dome room, silence had fallen amongst the guard members who stood staring openly at the small girl. Sensing their unease Morvin held onto Hermione's hand tighter and clung to the back of her leg nervously, as she tried to hide from the glares that were directed towards her.

Ignoring the other members of the guard, Hermione walked confidently into the room and headed straight over to Felix, Demetri and Caius who were watching them.

Caius had not seen the small girl yet but had heard all about her from Marcus. Although he did not agree with Aro for allowing her to stay here, he would not harm the child either, despite what many people believed. Normally he was a stickler for the laws, but seeing how happy Hermione and Morvin made Marcus, he would never do anything to ruin his happiness. Marcus had been crushed once already, he didn't need to be crushed a second time.

So Caius decided to try and accept the child, for Marcus's sake more than Hermione's.

"And who might you be little one?" He asked the small child who seemed so terrified and fragile.

She looked up at Caius with large eyes before burying her face into Hermione. Sensing the small girl's distress Hermione kneeled down and wrapped her arm protectively around Morvin.

"Look at me little Mo." Hermione whispered, using the nickname she and Marcus had come up with. Obeying Hermione at once, Morvin turned her head so that she was looking into the warm trusting eyes of Hermione. She gave Morvin a small satisfied smile before saying, "I know being in a room with all of these strange people is scary, I was scared too when I first arrived here. But remember I'm here, so is Grandfather, Uncle Felix and Uncle Demetri. I promise that none of us will let any harm come to you. Master Caius here is Grandfathers brother; he is a nice man. Trust me." Hermione said, gently placing a soothing kiss onto Morvin's head.

Turning her gaze onto Caius she narrowed her eyes at him, letting him know that if he tried anything with Morvin, then he would have her to deal with.

Seeing this look made Caius chuckle as he held up his hands in an act of submission.

"She is safe from me." Caius promised, watching as Hermione relaxed at his words.

Letting out a small sigh, Morvin tugged on Hermione's hand before looking up at Caius and giving him a small smile.

" _Hello Master Caius."_

He heard the small voice in his mind and smiled down at the little girl before him. He had heard all about her from Marcus, and so knew of the strange way in which she communicated, so he wasn't surprised when he heard her soft voice in his head. She was such an interesting child and he was looking forward to seeing what else she had in store for them all.

"Hello Morvin, it is so nice to finally get to meet you. Your Grandfather has been telling me all about you and I have been wondering when I would get the chance to meet you for myself."

Morvin looked behind Caius to where her Grandfather was sitting in discussion with a beautiful woman, who she presumed was Caius's wife Athenodora. As if he could feel her gaze upon him, his gaze flickered to her and a small proud smile spread across his face. Athenodora turned her head to look at the small girl and gave her a small smile and wave of her own.

Unlike Sulpicia, Athenodora was happy to have a child in the Palazzo, as life could be so long and boring without the tinkling laughter of children. She also hoped that Hermione would let her dress the little girl and do her hair, things that she had missed doing for thousands of years now.

Turning her gaze back to Caius, Morvin gave him another small smile.

" _Grandfather has told me a lot about you too Master Caius."_ She replied politely. It was true, her Grandfather had spoken to her about Caius, telling her lots of stories about him. Though everything he told her about him was good, she couldn't help but feel like he had missed out a lot of details, and because of this she found herself nervous to be around Caius. She could feel the power emanating from him, and knew him to be dangerous. But she also knew that Hermione was with her, and wouldn't let anything happen to her. She trusted that feeling.

Caius gave her a small smile then turned his attention to Hermione and Felix.

"Are we ready to get started then, you Hermione have grown a little rusty since leaving. Hopefully this practice will help."

Hermione's strength lay in her powers not in her physical skills. Although she could fight adequately enough, she wasn't as strong or as elegant as Felix or Caius. After her trip to Romania it became obvious to her that she really needed to work on this skill more than any other, especially since they were going to be fighting an army of newborn vampires. The old Hermione Granger would have been indignant about admitting to any weaknesses, but this Hermione knew better.

"I agree Caius, I think I really need to buck up and concentrate. There is no room for error especially after what we saw in the Hoia-Baciu forest." Hermione admitted.

"Then I think if you are ready Felix, then we shall begin." Caius said, as both Hermione and Felix nodded their heads in agreement.

While Felix wandered off with Caius to do some stretches, Hermione walked over to Demetri and Morvin, the latter who was looking more nervous now than what she did when she first came into the dome room. Seeing the worry and nervous confusion in the young girl's face, Hermione kneeled down and took Morvin's small hands in her own.

"Listen to me little Mo, Felix and I are going to be practicing our fighting techniques, but please don't be scared by what you see. Our fighting isn't real and I promise neither of us will hurt the other. I want you to sit beside Demetri and not leave his side alright. If you get scared let him know and I can take you back to the room. Do you understand sweetie?" She asked in a voice that was both soft and soothing.

Morvin shifted a nervous gaze over to Felix, who she knew was much stronger than Hermione. The thought of the two of them fighting each other was terrifying to her. What if Hermione got hurt? It didn't matter that Hermione said the fighting wasn't real, she didn't want to see them like that. Flinging herself into Hermione's arms, she nuzzled her cheek against her chest and listened to the soothing sound of her strange heartbeat. She knew that she had to be brave if she wanted to stay close to Hermione, for she didn't want to go back to the rooms on her own. Pulling her emotions together, she finally moved away from Hermione and sighed. She had to be a big girl now.

" _I won't get scared, I promise."_

Knowing how much that had taken for the small girl to say, Hermione smiled and loving stroked a finger down the small girl's cheek.

"I promise you little Mo that we'll be fine. You have Uncle Demetri to look after you." Kissing the little girl's curly hair, Hermione stood up and walked over to Felix and Caius who were in the middle of discussing fighting techniques. She flicked a hand over herself and her long curly hair, which had been down, was now secured in a ponytail. Her normal everyday clothes had changed into a red tank top and black yoga pants, a perfect outfit for what lay ahead.

She stretched her body the same way Felix did, then moved away to get into position. Seeing that Hermione was ready, Felix too moved into position giving her a quirk of his lips.

"I hope your ready little witching cause I'm going to take you down." He said trying to antagonize her.

Hermione snorted and gave him a small smile of her own, before getting down into her defensive position.

"So you think." She replied.

Felix simply shook his head at her, a wry smile still on his face as he too moved into his defensive position. Caius came between them, a serious look on his face as he said,

"Now remember Hermione concentrate on your enemy and ignore everything around you. Stick to the basics and give it your all. When it's time for us to go into battle for real there will be no room for error like you said. Ready." He said looking from Felix to Hermione. "Go."

The minute he said go both Felix and Hermione began to run towards one another before jumping in the air and slamming into each other. Felix was so much stronger than Hermione, so had a better impact on her. He grabbed her by the arm and tossed her to the ground, causing a loud crack on the floor underneath her.

Morvin who was sitting in terrified curiosity, whimpered at the sight of Hermione lying sprawled on the ground. She didn't like this at all. Hearing the soft sound, Demetri wrapped a protective arm around her small shoulders and squeezed her gently in reassurance.

"Don't worry little Mo, Hermione is fine honestly. They know what they are doing."

Burying her face against his arm, she wanted to believe him but was too scared. She knew about the battle that was going to take place soon, they had told her all about it after she accidentally overheard them discussing it one evening when she was supposed to be in the bath. Morvin was young but she knew the dangers that the adults were facing, she also knew that Hermione practicing her fighting skills was important. It didn't mean she had to like it however. Trying to find her own courage, she turned her attention back onto Felix and Hermione fighting, only to see Hermione back on her feet and aiming punches towards Felix.

The fighting was progressing with Felix having the upper hand over Hermione, despite the fact she had landed a couple of good punches on him. They were both concentrating on what they were doing and responding well to each other, anticipating the others moves and deflecting them. Even Caius was impressed, since Hermione was rusty.

Things took a downward turn however, the moment Aro lead Sulpicia into the room to sit next to Marcus and Athenodora. He knew that Hermione and Felix would be here practicing, and wondered if the small child would be brought out to them at last. He was not disappointed.

The moment he had entered the room, Hermione's concentration quickly turned towards him, as she felt pain twist in her stomach. Anger rose inside of her when she remembered the way that he had been treating her since she had returned from Romania. What made things worse, was the way his eyes had settled on Morvin, with a curious fascination. Seeing that look, after he had threatened to destroy her, only made her angrier. Her eyes were locked on him, as a small growl escaped her lips.

Completely forgetting where she was and what she was doing, she didn't see Felix come charging towards her, until she felt his head ram into her stomach and her body being pushed down onto the ground.

Momentarily stunned, she simply gazed up at Felix in shock and confusion, until reality came crashing back to her. How could she be so foolish as to be distracted by Aro? What had Caius just said to her, there would be no room for error.

Rolling off Hermione, Felix stood up and held a hand out to her with amusement, as she accepted it and moved to stand. She frowned at the smug look on Felix's face and done another couple of stretches before moving once again to her position.

"Remember Hermione concentrate, focus on what you are doing and not your surroundings." Caius said with some frustration.

Hermione closed her eyes for a moment and cleared her mind. She could do this. She had to do this. Not just for herself but for Morvin too. Thinking of her little girl only riled her up however, the opposite effect of what she was hoping for.

She was angry at what the Romanians had done to her little girl. She was angry at the fact she had to use a memory charm on the sweet innocent child just to give her back the life that had been so cruelly taken from her. She was angry at Aro for the way he had treated both her and Morvin. She was angry at Sulpicia for the way she had spoken to her. But most of all she was angry at herself for the way she had been acting. The bottom line of the matter was the fact that she was just angry. And no matter how hard she tried to clear her mind, her thoughts wouldn't leave and the anger stayed burning within her.

The moment Caius said go for the second time Hermione opened her eyes, not realizing how blazing they were. She simply stood and watched as Felix appeared to run at her in slow motion.

Letting out a feral growl, she stood where she was instead of charging towards Felix as she would normally do. As he drew closer to her, she simply turned her body sidestepping him, before grabbing him around the waist and tossing him over her shoulder.

Her actions caused some surprise for Felix, but he didn't linger on it too long. He was once again back on his feet and aiming a punch at Hermione, then another, then another, but each time he tried she blocked him, pushing his arm away with a strength he hadn't expected from her. Using his other hand, trying to catch her off guard, he flung another punch towards her. With his fist only inches away from her face, she grabbed it with her small hand and twisted his arm, causing him to cry out in shock and fall to his knees. Letting go she kicked him in the stomach causing him to fly across the ground before finally coming to a stop by crashing into the wall.

Loud gasps could be heard from around the room, as the occupants moved away from the fighting duo. Even Caius took a cautious step backwards, seeing the unflinching gaze in Hermione's eyes, as she focused solely on her target. He wasn't sure what was going on, but didn't like it. This was not the Hermione he knew.

Demetri looked towards Caius then towards Marcus but neither one seemed to know what was going on. Feeling confused he instinctively picked Morvin up and put her on his back as he moved away from the fight also. Hermione would never forgive herself, or him for that matter if something was to happen to Morvin.

"Aro shouldn't you stop this, Hermione isn't right. Something is wrong." Marcus said, with a mixture of worry and fear crossing over his features.

Aro looked at Hermione, marveling at what he was seeing. He always knew she was powerful but this had not been expected. He wanted to see exactly how far she could go and just how powerful she was. With a shake of his head Aro grinned, and without taking his eyes off of Hermione he said,

"No they shall continue."

Marcus sighed knowing how stubborn Aro could be at times.

"In that case if you won't do anything about it then I will." And with that Marcus headed towards Demetri and Morvin, his gaze fixed on the battling duo as the fight continued.

Feeling his pride knocked slightly, Felix refused a helping hand up from Caius as he got to his feet and brushed dust from his top. He frowned as his gaze turned towards Hermione, wondering what the hell was going on with her. Before Caius could say go for a third time, Felix felt his own annoyance at the situation and charged, meeting Hermione in midair.

She managed to duck his arm, as he tried to land a punch on her, and caught him in the stomach. She slid across the floor and turned back to look at Felix who growled at her in frustration.

Instead of charging at him as he expected, she began to run away from him. He took that as a challenge and began to sprint after her. Before he had the chance to slow down after realizing what she had been planning, Hermione ran up the wall flipping over Felix as he once again crashed face first into the wall. He didn't have any chance of moving before Hermione grabbed him and flung him across the floor. He went sliding over it, causing a couple of spectators to jump out of the way before they got caught up in the fight themselves.

Hermione looked at Felix with an unwavering gaze, feeling her anger rise once more. She was completely uncontrollable and was unaware of anything except her anger and her target. She slowly advanced on Felix, causing the magic to crackle and radiate around her.

Felix could do nothing but stare at her in fear and bewilderment, as she moved closer, stopping only when she was standing above him. She raised her hand up into the air as if she was going to punch him one final time, but instead of a punch that familiar blue-white ball of light appeared in her hand.

Felix's eyes opened wide in shock and fear as he realized what she was about to do. With a feral growl he watched with trepidation as her hand came lower and just when he thought she was going to release the ball of light at him, a hand quickly clamped around her wrist, stopping her from moving any further.

"Hermione stop." The commanding voice of Marcus said pulling her out of her trance like state.

All at once reality came flooding back to Hermione as she realized what she was about to do and who she was about to do it too. Guilt, fear, shock, and disgust flooded her at once, as the ball of light faded in her hand. Instantly she recoiled back from Felix and Marcus, turning her head to look at all the terrified faces around her. But it was the face of her girl that struck her the worst though. Seeing Morvin looking so stricken, clinging to Demetri as if he was her lifeline. But it was her eyes, her large doe like eyes that were filled with pain and betrayal.

It was the knowledge that she had caused her to feel those things, that she had inflicted those feelings in her girl, the girl she had sworn to love and protect with her life.

By losing control the way she did, by letting her anger take charge of her mind and body, she had let Morvin down in the end. And knowing that caused her own heart to break.

Feeling guilty tears roll down her cheeks, Hermione got to her feet and backed away from everyone. She was too dangerous to be around and had to get away from all the judgmental looks.

"I'm sorry." She whispered in a defeated tone. "I'm so sorry. Please look after Morvin for me."

Before anyone had the chance to say anything, Hermione quickly apparated away with a loud crack, leaving the stunned spectators to mumble and talk amongst themselves.

Back in the safety of her quarters, Hermione stood still in the middle of the room, her hand covering her mouth as she stifled quiet sobs. How could she possibly face anyone after what she had almost done? She could have killed one of her best friends, someone who was like a brother to her. If it hadn't been for Marcus she would have killed Felix right then and there without a second thought. Even just thinking about it was unimaginable to her. Never before had she completely lost herself like that. How could she possibly trust herself to look after Morvin now?

With great big heaving sobs, Hermione sank down onto her knees and began to rock backwards and forwards, as she clawed desperately at her hair and face.

She sat this way for what seemed like hours but was probably only minutes, until she felt the telltale tingles of her wards announcing that someone was outside her door trying to get in.

Hermione swiped the tears away from her face as she rose up onto unsteady feet. She knew that she couldn't hide forever and had to face up to her actions sooner or later. She just wished it could have been later, for she wasn't as composed as she wanted to be before seeing anyone yet.

With a sigh she walked over to the door but did not undo the wards yet. She needed an extra moment to compose herself so leaned against the door to try and calm herself down some more. She shut her eyes and tried to clear her mind as another knock sounded.

Turning to face the door she pressed her hands on the soft wood and asked,

"Who is it?"

"It's Marcus mio angelo. Please let me in, I promise I am on my own." Came the reply from the other side.

Hermione's heart clenched at hearing the sorrow and worry etched in her adoptive father's voice. She hated the fact that once again she had caused someone she cared about to feel that way.

With another swipe at her face she waved her hand cancelling the wards, before opening the door slowly to allow Marcus in. Instantly she backed away from him, turning to face away, as she couldn't look him straight in the eyes. She didn't want to see the hurt or disappointment that she knew would be in them.

Slowly and carefully, not wanting to startle her, Marcus made his way over to the girl who had brought him so much joy over the past few months, the girl he loved like a daughter. Seeing her so distressed and not herself pained him more than anything, and he was determined to find out what had caused this sudden change in her. He had his suspicions but wanted to hear them for himself before he done anything more with regards to the matter.

"Mio angelo please talk to me, tell me what is going on in that mind of yours to cause you to act this way. We are all so worried about you." He whispered placing his hand gently on her shoulder.

She winced at the contact and instantly pulled away from him, despite how much she needed his support and comfort just now.

"Please don't call me that, I don't deserve that title. I could have killed Felix; I could have hurt all of you." She whispered, her head bent low in defeat.

"But you didn't." Marcus replied trying to reassure her.

She snorted then vigorously shook her head without turning to look at him.

"Only because you were able to stop me. If you weren't there…." She trailed off not even wanting to think about what would have happened if he hadn't been there.

"But I was mio angelo and that is what matters. Everyone is fine although a little shook up. They are all worried about you."

Again Hermione snorted before turning disbelieving eyes onto Marcus.

"Please. If they should be worried about anyone then they should be worried about themselves. I am dangerous father. I lost control out there. I was so consumed by raw anger that I was completely out of myself, it was like I had gone and this unstoppable being had taken my place."

Marcus sighed sadly as he watched the pain flicker through her face.

"Talk to me mio angelo, tell me what caused you to feel such anger. Maybe I can help you somehow." He pleaded as he held her hands desperately in his own.

She looked at their joined hands and felt her resolve melting. Somehow Marcus was always able to calm her down when no one else was able to. He was her anchor.

"Everything." She whispered, while leaning her forehead against his arm in surrender.

"Everything what?" He asked in return.

She sighed then said,

"Everything caused me to be angry. I saw the way that Aro was looking at Morvin and just felt this sudden explosion of anger inside of me. He had wanted her destroyed before and now he looks at her as if she is some sort of prize." She frowned as she remembered the look he gave Morvin, and tried to calm the swirling emotions inside of her once again. "Then I remembered everything Morvin had been through, everything she's still going through and not only was I angry but I was livid and I could feel myself snapping. I was angry at Aro again because ever since I came back from Romania he has treated me with nothing but disdain, I thought…" She trailed off again shaking her head as if rejecting the words that wanted to come out. "Well it doesn't matter what I thought, what matters is I was wrong. Then I was angry at Sulpicia and the way she confronted me about Aro. But out of everything the person I was angry at the most was myself. I am a fool father and I have no one to blame but myself."

Marcus listened intently to what Hermione was saying and frowned at her words. He knew that Aro had something to do with this change in Hermione. Before she left for Romania, Aro had been talking about her being his mate and he could see his feelings clearly reflecting from him. Then all of a sudden he changed, and was drawing closer to Sulpicia once again. He wasn't sure what happened, but something must have gone on to cause such a sudden change in him. And Hermione was right, ever since she had returned Aro was treating her appallingly. He knew how manipulative his brother could be, but he never thought he would go this far in his perusal of power. The fact that he was using Hermione in this manner fuelled his own anger.

"Mio angelo, I don't know what has happened with regards to Aro but I promise I will find out and end it. As for Morvin you cannot change what has happened in her past, but you can change her future. She is happy, healthy and loved by you, me, Felix and Demetri. But as long as she has you she will be fine."

Hermione pulled away from Marcus and glared at him, once again feeling angry at herself.

"How can you stand there and say that to me after what I just done? What happens next time I lose control? What if it's aimed at Morvin? What if I hurt her?" She sighed trying to hold back the fresh wave of tears that threatened to escape. "I cannot be trusted to look after her father, I can't trust myself."

Marcus frowned at Hermione then grabbed her none too gently by the shoulders.

"Listen to yourself Hermione. Yes you lost control. Yes it wasn't the most pleasant experience. But do you honestly think that you would ever hurt Morvin. She needs you Hermione, not me, not Felix and not Demetri but you. Now pull yourself together. Be the strong capable person that I know you are and face up to your responsibilities. There is a small child waiting for you out there, scared and waiting for some reassurance from you. Go to her and comfort her and stop this nonsense at once."

Hermione was shocked by Marcus's impassioned outburst, as she had never heard him raise his voice like that before. Normally he was so calm and reserved.

Her body tensed and she grew taller at his words, knowing that he was right.

"Where are they?" She finally asked.

Instantly relaxing, Marcus gave her a small smile and bent to kiss her forehead.

"They are still in the dome room mio angelo. You go up, I have somewhere else to be at the moment."

Arm in arm they left Hermione's quarters and headed down the corridor. Once they had reached the end, they split up as Hermione walked up to the dome room and Marcus headed to the leaders shared quarters, knowing that the person he needed to speak to was there.

Slamming the door open, he stepped inside the room and spotted Aro at once, sitting alone at his desk in quiet contemplation. Closing the door behind him, Marcus strode up to Aro, his arms folded and a frown marring across his face.

"I have just been to speak with Hermione, Aro, if you care at all. Whatever you have said or done to her you will end it now." At his words Aro simply looked up at him but did not say anything, so Marcus continued. "I thought Hermione was your mate, I thought you cared about her. You promised me that you wouldn't hurt her and yet you have. What changed? And why?"

Once Marcus had finished speaking Aro stood up and walked across to the fireplace to lean against the mantle. He gave a heavy sigh and lowered his head in exasperation.

"You are of course correct in what you say brother, but I have my reasons for what I'm doing. You must trust me with this."

"Trust you. How can I trust you when you are hurting someone that I have grown to care about?"

Aro whirled around quickly and stared at his brother for a long moment before saying,

"You care for her more than me, more than the rest of the guard." He asked.

Marcus didn't have to think about his answer, as he quickly said,

"Yes I do." He had been a member of the Volturi for a long time, he had seen many Wars, participated in many battles and arguments and he was bone tired of it. Ever since Hermione had come along Marcus had felt a peace within him that he had not felt in such a long time. With the added bonus of Morvin, he found himself happier than he had ever felt before.

"I see." Aro said, his mind whirling with this new information. "Then perhaps if I tell you my reasons then you will understand better. Hermione is my mate, these past few weeks have been difficult because I long for her more now than ever before. But I cannot give in to those feelings. I need her to hate me, I need her to stay away from me, from us."

Marcus could hear the sincerity in his voice, but he still found himself confused by his brother's actions.

"If that is true then why Aro?"

Aro went into his jacket pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, the same piece of paper that he had shown to Demetri not that long ago.

"While Hermione was in Romania I received this letter along with a lovely present." He said handing Marcus the offending piece of paper.

Marcus quickly unfolded it and read the words, a horrible sick feeling rising in his throat.

" _Will your mate's heart still beat, even after I have torn it out and hold it in my hands"_ Marcus said aloud, causing Aro to wince. He of course knew the words by memory now, as he had read the letter over and over again since he had first received it.

Looking away from Marcus and the letter, he went back to leaning against the mantle.

"Along with that letter, a wooden box was delivered to me with a fresh bloody heart inside. The letter, as you can guess brother, can only be about one person, which means someone knows, a traitor in the guard perhaps, or maybe one of those people from the ball. So you see brother, I cannot let my feelings for Hermione show. I need her to hate me, in order to protect her. She is already a target as it is, without people knowing she is also my mate."

Marcus could understand his brother's actions a little better now, but he still felt Aro was going about things the wrong way.

"Why didn't you tell me about it?" He asked. "What if you push her too far and she realizes she doesn't want you after the battle? What then?"

Aro looked at Marcus and gave him an apologetic smile.

"I figured the less people who know the truth the better. I cannot risk anyone knowing my plans. Hermione must be kept safe and I felt this was the best way. As for after the battle," He sighed turning away from his brother. "I made her promise me that she would stay here in Volterra and never leave. Not even to go back into the wizarding world for a visit. But the promise is a lie, I will let her go if that's what she wants. I am a selfish man, but I care for her too much to keep her here." He admitted.

To say that Marcus was shocked was an understatement, he knew how selfish his brother could be, so hearing his words now was a most welcome surprise. But still he could not hide his annoyance at him.

"That is all very good and well brother, but who is it best for?" Marcus asked, feeling his own anger boil to the surface. "Have you any idea how hurt and confused Hermione is. It is because of her anger that she almost killed Felix, and you dare stand before me now saying it's for the best."

"I must confess I was not expecting that from Hermione, but wasn't she magnificent." Aro beamed with pride, still recalling the image of Hermione in all of her glory. It appeared her anger was beneficial in more ways than one.

"Magnificent. Aro she almost killed her friend, her brother. She is racked with fear and guilt just now. I'm sorry but I cannot allow you to treat her in this way anymore. I also care for her too much."

Raising an eyebrow at Marcus, Aro said,

"Oh and what will you do to stop me?"

With a serious look on his face, Marcus simply stared down at his brother before saying,

"I have been loyal to the Volturi for years, accepting everything that you do and say. But I have been quiet for far too long. Not now. Now you go too far Aro and I will not stand to be a part of it any longer. After the War I plan on leaving Volterra with Hermione and Morvin. We will make a new life together away from you and away from this place. This time you will do nothing to stop me." Marcus said with a determination he had never felt.

Before Aro could say anything to try and persuade him against such a thing, Marcus turned and left a grim looking Aro behind. He had of course heard his brother talk about leaving before but it had never happened, as there were ways to stop such a thing from happening and he was not averse to using such methods.

Sitting back down at his desk Aro pressed the intercom button and waited for Heidi to answer. When her soft voice sounded in the room Aro simply said,

"Heidi send Chelsea to see me immediately."

With that he sat back in his chair and steepled his fingers together as he became lost in his thoughts. Once Chelsea had dealt with Marcus, there would be no more talks of anyone leaving the Volturi or Volterra. He would have Marcus's loyalty once more no matter what it took.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter Thirty-One**

The time everyone had anxiously been waiting for had finally arrived. Tonight under the cloak of darkness, the Volturi guard and several other covens would be leaving the safety of the Palazzo walls, as they began their march to Romania, where the final battle between two ancient vampire covens would at last be taking place.

In order to not draw attention or risk exposing themselves, the plan was for them to leave the Palazzo in groups and meet up before heading to the Hoia-Baciu forest, where they would then travel the last leg of their journey together, as a united front.

The three Volturi leaders had been both pleased and surprised when over two hundred coven members had shown up, all ready and willing to fight alongside them against a common enemy. An enemy who no-one wanted to see back in power. The Volturi were many things but they established order in the vampire world, with the aim of protecting their race from exposure and harm. If the Romanians gained back power then all of that would be ruined, as the Romanians wanted to dominate not only their own race but all races in the world. They were heartless and dangerous more so than what the Volturi ever were.

Despite the surprisingly large number of vampires to arrive in Volterra however, it was nothing compared to the Romanians newborn army. They had strength in numbers and were more physically powerful than the Volturi army. Whereas the Volturi's strength lay with those few vampires who had a unique power. Jane, Alex and Hermione being the three with the strongest defensive powers. They were deadly and so the Volturi army were not as worried as much as they perhaps should have been, as all their hope lay with these three powerfully strong vampires.

For Hermione the arrival of the other covens was both exciting and nerve wracking for her. Exciting because it brought about the arrival of the Cullen's, minus Bella and Edward who had stayed back in Forks in order to look after their daughter Renesmee. Even after all this time they still weren't close to forgiving Aro and the Volturi for the fight they almost started because of their daughter, when they had accused her of being an immortal child.

But it was also nerve wracking for Hermione as well, because it meant that all the other covens would soon find out about the existence of her own little girl Morvin. She knew that her protective side with regards to Morvin would come out if she perceived the other vampires to be a threat, which could be dangerous and make her lose her temper again, triggering her new power.

After what happened in the dome room that day, she had been slower to forgive herself than Felix and Demetri had. Her two best friends had been wary of her afterwards, and she had been disheartened to see a flash of fear in Felix's eyes when he first looked at her. But after she had explained to them what had caused her to lose control of herself, they were a lot more understanding and forgiving than she expected them to be.

She personally could not forgive herself for what she had almost done, and could no longer trust her emotions, especially not her anger. So after a hastily written letter to Dumbledore, he advised her to clear her mind and meditate in order to calm her emotions and settle them. Following his advice that's what she began to do and found to her surprise that it actually helped, when she centered herself. Now with the arrival of the other covens, she knew her control would be tested to the limit.

Despite the fact that Felix and Demetri had forgiven her so quickly, Morvin was a different matter and honestly Hermione couldn't blame the little girl. She had sworn to look after her, and protect her with everything that she had. But it turned out the only person who Morvin needed protecting from, was Hermione herself. Seeing the fear in her little girl's face was heartbreaking, but knowing it was her who had caused it made things a lot worse.

After the incident had happened Morvin didn't want to see Hermione straight away, so spent some time with her Grandfather and her two uncles. She didn't stay away because she didn't love Hermione anymore, because she did. She stayed away because she was scared that Hermione was angry at her. Morvin wasn't stupid, she saw the looks she got, and had heard the nasty whispers about her. But seeing Hermione get so mad, made Morvin wonder if Hermione still wanted her. The thought of Hermione rejecting her was terrifying and seeing her lose her temper, especially with Uncle Felix, was pretty scary too. She always knew that Hermione was powerful, after all she was a vampire who had magical powers and could ride a dragon, of course she would be powerful. But seeing her in action was both frightening and awe inspiring. She had always made Morvin feel so safe and cared for, but on that day for a split second Morvin didn't feel safe and so clung to her Uncle Demetri. It was only when Hermione left, looking so stricken and fearful, that Morvin realized she was being silly. She knew Hermione would never hurt her, so she let Hermione go in order to give her some space and some time alone.

She stayed with her Grandfather and two uncles so Hermione could calm down. In the hope that once she was calm she would realize that she still wanted Morvin. That was what she was wishing for anyway.

It wasn't until someone sat down and talked with her that she realized how foolish she was being. She needed Hermione just as much as Hermione needed her. It wasn't her Grandfather or uncles who explained things to her, no it was a vampire she hadn't met. The third Volturi leader named Aro.

She had been sitting with her Grandfather in his quarters when Aro knocked on the door with a stunning woman next to him, who later Morvin found out was called Chelsea. While Aro came and sat down next to Morvin, Chelsea and Marcus went into another room to discuss plans for the battle, away from little ears.

When Aro had sat next to Morvin, she was naturally nervous and felt a little intimidated by his sheer presence alone. Although she had not yet met Aro, she knew all about him and knew that he was the main leader of the Volturi and could be dangerous. He was powerful and every part of his person demanded respect.

But when he looked at her, he wore a pleasant look on his face and had a big smile for her. One could even say that he looked kind and it appeared that he was just as curious about her as she was about him.

Despite the fact that he appeared nice and even interested in getting to know her, Morvin knew that he was someone who could not be trusted easily and so she remained wary of him, even as he asked her questions about herself.

He claimed that he wanted to get to know her better, since he had heard a lot about her from Marcus and even Hermione herself. His mannerisms were relaxed and at times he sounded almost boyish to Morvin, making her feel more at ease in his presence.

"How are you liking it here in Volterra? Are you enjoying living at the Palazzo?" He asked giving her a small smile.

Gazing up at him, he heard the small whisper of her voice in his mind as she said,

" _I haven't really seen Volterra Master Aro, but I find the Palazzo beautiful. Thank you so much for letting me stay here with Hermione."_

At the mention of Hermione's name, Morvin looked away trying to hide the sadness from the leader of the Volturi. But she was unsuccessful in doing so, as he had seen it straight away.

Tilting her chin gently, so that she was now looking into his eyes. In a soft soothing voice he asked,

"Why so sad mio piccolo? I thought you would be happy here living with Hermione?"

She sighed and cast her eyes downwards.

" _I am happy really it's just that…after seeing what Hermione did, seeing how angry she was I wonder if she still wants me. I didn't like seeing her like that. I was afraid."_

Aro removed his hand from her chin and held both his long pale hands out to her.

"I have the power to see and feel someone's thoughts and feelings, and to watch their memories. Would you mind if I have a little look at yours, just to get a better idea of the situation? I promise to not look at any other memories." He said.

Morvin simply stared at his hands in wonder, before slowly placing her own small ones in his. She didn't think he would hurt her and she wanted to trust him, especially since her Grandfather did.

She watched in fascination as he cradled her hands in his and closed his eyes, as he concentrated on what he was doing. She didn't see or feel anything and wondered if his power had worked or not.

Only a moment or so later he opened his eyes, but didn't drop her hands right away. He gave her a small reassuring smile and gently stroked the back of her hand, a gesture that would have normally made her feel uncomfortable in the past.

"Mio piccolo I have seen your fears and worries regarding Hermione, but believe me when I say they are unfounded and uncalled for. Yes what happened in the dome room that day was both brilliant and frightening for you to see, but what happened in there had nothing to do with the way Hermione feels about you. Believe me when I say that she loves you more than anything else in this world. She would do anything for you, including threatening me in order to let you stay here." He said with a slight chuckle of remembrance. "Now I think you should go back to your own quarters, I know how much you are missing Hermione and I also know how much she will be missing you too."

While he spoke Morvin could hear only the truth in his voice. His face was a picture of perfect calmness, but his eyes betrayed the truth of the matter. As he spoke about Hermione, Morvin saw affection, longing and something else burning in his eyes, something that she couldn't quite recognize yet. And it was then that she realized the truth, he too cared for Hermione, more so than he wanted people to believe. Although she couldn't quite understand the reason why that was. Perhaps Hermione didn't feel the same way about him and he didn't want to cause any embarrassment for himself. Sometimes she just didn't understand adults and their thinking.

They had just finished their conversation when Chelsea and her Grandfather came back into the room, both of them looking relaxed and happy. She noticed how her Grandfather had lost that pinched annoyed look he had been wearing lately, and was glad, for she liked him so much better like this. It made her wonder exactly what Chelsea had said to him.

The moment they came back into the room, Aro and Chelsea exchanged a quiet look, and with a slight nod of her head, Aro rose elegantly from the chair. Turning his attention back onto Morvin he said,

"Don't forget what I said mio piccolo, Hermione will be waiting for you." And with that Aro and Chelsea left the room just as quickly as they had arrived.

Once the two visitors had gone it didn't take long for Morvin to build up her courage and face Hermione for their long awaited reunion.

Once the hard part was over with, things between Hermione and Morvin slowly drifted back to how they were. Morvin became a little clingier and needed more reassurance from Hermione, which she was only too happy to provide, as Hermione also needed this as well. She needed to know that she was doing the right thing for her little girl.

Lost in her thoughts Hermione didn't notice when Carlisle slipped into the room, not until he had sat next to her, taking her hand in his. Morvin was away getting to know Alice and the rest of the Cullen's better, while Hermione had shrunk and packed all of their belongings into her small beaded bag.

She knew that tonight they would be leaving Volterra for the last time and neither one of them would be returning. Although she didn't want Morvin to watch the battle, Hermione needed to make sure that she was close by. She couldn't leave her here at the Palazzo for it would be empty, which was why she had made arrangements for her to stay next to Athenodora, who would not be participating in the battle itself. She was a wife not a fighter after all, and Hermione knew she would keep Morvin safe. She trusted her with Morvin's life. But for Hermione, there was one thing that still needed to be arranged, which was why she had asked Carlisle to meet her now.

"Are you alright Hermione? Are you worried about the fight ahead?" He asked, concern lacing his voice.

She gazed at him and gave him a small reassuring smile. The honest answer to that question was no she wasn't worried about the fight ahead. She felt a strange sort of calmness as the hours quickly passed by. No, she was ready for this battle.

"I'm fine Carlisle honestly." She said gently squeezing his hand. "But there is something I wish to discuss with you. Something I can't leave for later."

He nodded his head in understanding, a small frown on his face.

"You know you can talk to me about anything Hermione, you're like family to me, to all of us actually."

She smiled at him and felt a surge of warmth run through her. The Cullen's had been nothing but kind and supportive to her right from the beginning, so it came as no surprise when they had welcomed Morvin into the fold with open arms. They were admittedly surprised that Aro had allowed her to live here with Hermione, but when she told them how she had threatened him otherwise, they had finally understood. Especially when news of her new power spread through all of the covens. She was a force to be reckoned with and Aro was not strong enough to take on the strength of her will.

"Thanks Carlisle, I can't tell you how much I appreciate hearing that. Which makes this easier for me to ask. Carlisle-" She said turning serious now as she pinned him with a pleading look. "If something happens to me during the battle, no please let me finish." She said trying to appease him. He nodded his head not saying a word as she continued to speak. "If something happens to me during the battle, I would love it if you and Esme took Morvin back to Forks with you. She needs a family and a home, she needs love and if anyone can provide that for her, then it's your family. Please Carlisle, will you think about it." Her voice wavered slightly with the pent up emotions that she felt. Hermione knew that she might not make it out the War alive, she had come to terms with it although she would still try and prevent that from happening. But she didn't want to leave Morvin behind without knowing what was going to happen to her. She needed to know that despite whatever outcome happened, that Morvin would be safe and looked after properly.

"Hermione nothing is going to happen to you, you will be fine." Carlisle said, hoping with everything he had that what he spoke was the truth. "I don't have to think about anything Hermione, we care for you and Morvin, so of course we would look after her. But what about Marcus? What is he saying about this?"

Hermione sighed out loud as she thought of the change in Marcus. He still cared and doted on Morvin, but he seemed a lot more relaxed about things than what he had done previously. They had sat down and had discussed Morvin, before she came to Carlisle, and both she and Marcus agreed that it would be best for Morvin to move away from Volterra. She needed a stable family life, and although she could get that from Marcus, Volterra wasn't the best place for her to live. It would still be a hostile environment for her, especially if Hermione wasn't there to protect her. And as Marcus said there was no way he could leave Volterra or the Volturi, this was his home. Even though he would miss her terribly, Marcus agreed that the best thing for Morvin was for her to go and live with the Cullen's.

"We both agreed that Volterra was no place for her. It wouldn't be safe and I need to know that without me there, she will still be protected. You and your family can do that for her." Hermione said truthfully.

Carlisle gave her a small reassuring smile and squeezed her hand once more.

"Thank you for having so much faith in us, it means a lot. I will discuss it with Esme but I don't think it will be a problem. We would be honored to welcome Morvin into our family."

At his words Hermione suddenly felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Knowing that Morvin would be loved and protected in her absence was all that she cared about at the moment.

"Thank you Carlisle." She said as a single tear ran down her cheek.

Swiping it away with the pad of his thumb Carlisle said,

"It never fails to amaze me every time I see you cry, or hear your heart beating. You are a remarkable person Hermione. We all believe in you to end this War once and for all, and those people out there, they aren't here for Aro or the Volturi, they are here for you. We stand by you as our leader and as our guide. You are our hope for a better future and our salvation."

Speechless Hermione didn't know how to respond to that, what could she possibly say in answer to his words. Doing the only thing she could, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him tightly.

Just then there was a knock at the door as Alice popped her head into the room. Hermione pulled away from Carlisle and swiped more tears away from her face in embarrassment.

Stepping into the room, Alice also gave Hermione a hug before saying,

"We're all starting to leave now and Caius asked me to come and find you. It's time." She whispered.

Reigning in her emotions, Hermione composed herself and stood tall and straight. She gave Alice a nod of her head then said,

"Thank you for letting me know Alice. You both go ahead I will join you in a minute. There is something that I need to do first."

Squeezing her arm, Hermione watched as Alice and Carlisle left before letting out a shuddering sigh. She had to prepare herself, she had to be ready and remain strong for what lay ahead. This was it, there was no going back now.

Looking around the room that had been her home for the past few months, she thought back over everything that had happened to her since she had first arrived here in Volterra. There were some good memories along with some bad ones but overall she had been mostly happy, well except for perhaps the beginning of her stay here.

She looked at her desk where a single book lay, the first edition of La Vita Nuova that Aro had given her. She didn't feel right in taking that with her, despite how much it pained her to leave such a rare and wonderful book behind. The memories that were connected to Aro and that book were too much, and after the way he had treated her since her return to the Palazzo she didn't feel right taking it. On top of the book was a letter addressed to Aro. He would get it once the War was over.

Checking her bags one last time she made sure she had everything. With a flick of her wand she was now dressed in her Volturi guard clothes, as she didn't think it would be appropriate for her to wear her dragonrider outfit considering no-one except for Felix and Demetri knew about that. So she made sure they were packed away safely in her beaded bag as well as the circlet. Moving over to the fireplace she picked up a letter and a framed picture, running her finger along the delicate glass.

With a small smile she looked at the wizarding photograph of a beaming Remus, sitting with his arm protectively around an exhausted Dora, who gave the camera a tired but proud smile also. In her arms was a tiny baby wrapped up in a blue blanket, his small face peeking out as he let out a big yawn. As he did this, both his parents gazed adoringly down at him, before the picture repeated itself over again.

She had received the letter from Remus about a week after she had returned from Romania. She wished she could have been there with her friends during this special time, especially since they had asked her to be Teddy's godmother. But she couldn't leave the Palazzo and she couldn't leave Morvin.

She felt regret that she may never get to meet her godson, but knew that he would grow up to be a remarkable young man. Especially since he would grow up in a world where both his wonderful parents were still alive. She couldn't have asked for anything better than that.

With one last look at the picture, she packed that and the letter in her bag, then left her quarters without a backwards glance, heading straight towards the dome room where she knew everyone was waiting.

The moment she entered the room, an unnatural silence fell upon it, as everyone turned to look at her, some with fear and some with awe. She simply walked over to the Cullen's with her head held high, as she remembered Carlisle's earlier words. They were here for her and she was there leader.

"Hermione perhaps you could explain things one last time to everyone." Aro said, knowing that it didn't matter what he said, it was she who everyone was following.

Hermione moved to the front of the room with an air of command, as everyone's gaze followed her as she went.

"As you know the battle will take place deep in the heart of the Hoia-Baciu forest. The last time I was there, the Romanians had over 500 newborn soldiers. That is where their advantage lies. They have the strength and fighting skills beyond us, but they will go for the obvious attack, which is where their weakness lies. We know what to expect. They don't care about power which is where our best defense lies. With me, Jane and Alex in front we will take out most of the newborn army, while you will come in from behind for the kill. If things don't go as planned, then I will revise our defensive plans. This battle will not be quick, it will not be an easy win, but what will help us in the end is unity. We must all work together in order to win. The plan is simple we will gather together on the fifth day, in a forested area near a small town called Mera in Romania. Here we will feed before finally marching to our final destination, which is almost 7 miles away. Meaning we should reach the forest by nightfall. So the question I now have to ask you all is, are you with me?"

As soon as she had finished her speech, a large roar of approval filled the silence, as the Volturi army clapped eagerly. They were ready to follow her into battle.

With her head held proud and high she said,

"Let us march to War and end this now."

Again there was another round of applause as everyone started forming into their groups, before they slowly left one at a time. Hermione being the leader, left with the first group, but not before having a last heartwarming moment with Morvin.

She held the little girl tightly to her body and kissed her on her curly head, whispering words of love and encouragement. Before Morvin was pried from Hermione's arm, she handed her an envelope and told her to put it in her backpack. It was for her to read once all of this was over.

With one last longing look at her girl, her heart became wrapped in solid steel, as she led her group out into the night air and towards War.

Unbeknownst to Hermione or the others, Dumbledore and the fellow members of the Order of the Phoenix who were joining him, were also saying goodbye to their loved ones, before taking a portkey to the Dragon Sanctuary in Romania. They would be staying there with Charlie and his friends until the Volturi army had reached their destination. Then they would wait until it was the right time before joining them.

While everyone was saying goodbye Dumbledore stood outside on top of the Astronomy Tower, in silent contemplation. He didn't need to look beside him to know who had joined him outside for this silent vigil.

After a moment of silence Dumbledore's quiet voice asked,

"Have you got it with you?"

In reply to his question, the person standing next to him simply said,

"I do."

With a nod of approval Dumbledore simply whispered,

"Good." And with that no more words were exchanged, as they stood in silence once more.

* * *

For five nights and four days the Volturi army travelled until it was the day of the 20th. They had finally reached the heavily forested area near the small town of Mera where they stopped and fed, resting in order to preserve their energy for the night ahead.

Hermione met up with the Cullen's and spent her time with them and Morvin, who clung tightly to Hermione not wanting to let her go. After everyone had fed, Hermione led Morvin away from the others in order to find a meal for herself as well as for Morvin.

After they had fed Morvin sat safely in Hermione's lap, her head against her chest so that she could hear that familiar sound she so loved. Honestly Morvin was scared, scared that she might lose Hermione when they had only just found one another. She held on tighter hoping that the time for them to depart would never come. She honestly didn't think she had the strength to let Hermione go again.

Hermione who was sitting savoring the feeling of having Morvin all to herself, was having similar thoughts, as her heart and mind began to War with themselves. She was fighting against her duty as a Volturi guard member, and as the primary carer of her girl. The thought that this might be the last time she ever held her girl broke her heart, and made her want to run away from the fight, taking Morvin with her. She wanted to run away from this place and not look back, but knew she could never do that. Just like Morvin, these people needed her, they depended on her to help win the War. If she fled now, then the Romanians would hurt everyone she held dear and would end up catching up to them. Despite how much she wanted to, she could not run from this forever.

As daylight began to fade away Hermione held onto Morvin tighter, inhaling her sweet scent and feeling her soft curls brush against her cheek. These were all things that she wanted to imprint to her memory.

Kissing the top of her head gently Hermione looked down at her girl, and felt a feeling of love overwhelm her. Before they had to separate, there were a couple of things that she had to say first.

"Little Mo I need you to listen to me sweetie alright. What I have to say is important and I need you to know before…well you know. When I first became a vampire I thought my life was ruined, I thought that I would miss out on so much. But then you came along and changed all of that. You are the best thing to ever happen to me and I love you so much." She said holding the small girl tighter to her. "I know things are scary right now but I promise they will get better. Everything that I'm about to do, is for you. I know it doesn't seem like it but trust me it is. I want you to live in a world away from danger, protected from the evils of this world. I want you to be happy sweetie."

Morvin hated the fact that she couldn't cry like Hermione could. She felt so scared and emotional but no tears would ever fall from her eyes again.

Looking at Hermione, she saw the pain and her own fears mirrored in Hermione's eyes. It didn't sound like she was trying to say words of love and comfort to her, it sounded like Hermione was saying goodbye.

" _I'm happy with you Hermione. And I'll be happier when this is all over and you come back to me."_ She watched as Hermione squeezed her eyes shut and groaned, causing panic to swell inside of her. _"You will come back to me won't you?"_ Morvin asked.

Hermione didn't want to lie to Morvin, she needed her to know the truth.

"Little Mo War is unpredictable, lives will be lost and I can't guarantee that I will return safely. Believe me I will try though, I will always try and come back to you. But if I don't then Carlisle and the Cullen's have promised to take care of you in my absence."

Morvin tore herself from Hermione's arms, at hearing those words and turned an angry gaze towards the woman who she thought of as a mum. The mum she always wanted but never had until now.

Without fully realizing what she was doing, she began to hit small fists against Hermione's chest as her mind screamed the word 'no' over and over again. Hermione had made plans behind her back, which to her meant she had no intention of coming back to her.

" _You promised that you would always look after me. You promised."_ Her small defeated voice said in Hermione's mind. _"You promised."_ Morvin repeated, as Hermione held onto her slim frame, while her small hands finally stopped hitting her.

They stayed like this for a long time until Athenodora came walking over to them, and as soon as Morvin saw her, she panicked and clung to Hermione, shaking her head not wanting to go.

"Please little Mo I need you to be brave for me."

Shaking her head vigorously again, Hermione had to pry Morvin's fingers from her clothes and watched helplessly, as Athenodora took a struggling Morvin away from her. Before they had disappeared back to the rest of the group, Hermione whispered, "I love you." Before slumping forward onto her hands and knees, as her body shuddered and shook with heaving sobs. She knew saying goodbye to Morvin would be hard, but she never expected it to be like this. She never expected her heart to be ripped from her chest and stomped on the ground in front of her. Even going through the change hadn't been as painful as this.

Steeling herself together once more, she closed her eyes and cleared her mind, letting her anger and emotions swirl around her like a comforting blanket, causing her magic to crackle in preparation. Since Dumbledore had advised her to start meditating, she found that she was able to control her power and magic better, so that it was there on the outside but couldn't unintentionally harm someone without her letting it.

Emotionally and mentally ready, Hermione rose to her feet like the leader that she was, her face a mask of angry indifference. Her eyes had darkened and her whole posture was straight and stiff.

The moment she met with the rest of the Volturi army, they all sensed the deadly change in her, and felt the power radiate from every part of her being. She was both magnificent and terrifying to behold.

She looked around the large group of faces, noticing how there were some new people amongst them. During their journey to Romania they had bumped into several covens including Abel and his family, who wanted to join the Volturi army and fight against the Romanians. They had been living in fear from them for such a long time and had decided no more, tonight they would stand and fight as well.

"Before we march into battle I want to say one last thing. Tonight there is no Volturi, there is no you and us. Together _we_ fight as one. Together _we_ will fight against our common enemy and _we_ will be victorious." At her words, the army in front of her roared once more in approval. "Now I ask you all one last time. Are you with me?"

Again a loud roar went up as everyone became impassioned by her inspirational words. They were ready more now than ever, and had the utmost confidence in their leader.

With an approving look, Hermione marched to the front of the group taking her place with Felix and Demetri on her right and the three Volturi leaders on her left. She did not look at anyone as she took her place, and began the march to the Hoia-Baciu forest. With their vampire speed it didn't take them long to cover the 7 miles and reach the outskirts of their final destination.

Without even having to step foot in the forest she could feel the darkness coming from within, she could feel the other vampires standing in wait of them, their anger and bitterness surrounding the darkened forest. Slowing down her movements, she took her time walking through the forest, knowing that her army was behind her every step of the way.

As they walked further and further into the forest, she could feel the danger and forebodingness, but she also felt something else. Something she couldn't quite explain but sent chills down her spine. Something didn't feel right but she didn't want to draw any attention to her fears. She needed to stay calm and focused in front of her army.

Finally reaching the heart of the forest, Hermione stepped out into the open space only to be greeted by the sight of hundreds of growling and aggressive vampires. They were hissing and snarling and thanks to her powerful eyesight she could see the maniacal glints in their eyes. Their minds had been so badly beaten and destroyed that Hermione didn't think any of their human selves were left. They were just angry, aggressive shells of their former selves with only two things on their minds, to kill and to destroy.

Eight of them, herself, Felix, Demetri, Aro, Marcus, Caius, Jane and Alex, headed further into the clearing, walking until there was only a short distance between them and the Romanians. Their own army followed closely behind as they all took in the sight before them.

Coming to a stop in the clearing it was Aro, not Hermione, who stepped forward in order to address the Romanians, after all he was the leader of the Volturi.

"Once again we find that you have broken our laws and have created another army, in order to reclaim the power in which you lost a long time ago. But unfortunately for you, history will be repeating itself. You will never reclaim that power, not today or any other day, for tonight you will lose once and for all. Tonight justice will be served." Behind him the Volturi army stood in silence, and watched as Aro's own power radiated from him. "Have you got any last words for us?" He asked gesturing the army behind him, as a triumphant gloating smile crossed his face.

"Save us all from your speeches. Unless you want to bore us to death." A voice said coming from the Romanian army.

Aro's eyes narrowed as he watched the sea of vampire's part, allowing two familiar figures to come walking through.

"Ahh Vladimir and Stefan how nice of you to finally join us." Aro said sarcastically, a small smile flickering across her his face.

Hermione watched the two vampires carefully. They seemed smug and excited, almost as if they were hiding something. One was small with pure white hair and an incredibly pale face. The other was tall with dark hair, and a slightly darker complexion. She noticed how the smaller of the two simply rolled his eyes disrespectfully as Aro spoke.

"Yes, yes, we have heard all of this before, it's gotten so boring and predictable now really. It's a shame we couldn't have finished this the last time we had the pleasure of meeting." The smaller one called Vladimir said.

"I agree. Where are the cowardly traitors who stole our last chance at victory away from us?" Stefan asked, as his gaze travelled across the faces before finally stopping on Carlisle and his family. "Ahh they you all are? We might have guessed you would join with the Volturi scum." He snapped.

"Now, now my friend, do not worry." Vladimir said, soothing his companion, while unable to hide his smile. "We will deal with them in due course. For now, we want only one person." Turning his gaze back onto the Volturi army he said, "Where is the famous vampire witch we have been hearing all about lately. I know you are here because I can hear you."

Unafraid of them, Hermione stepped forward lowering her hood so that the Romanians could get a full view of her. She could feel her anger rise as she gazed at the two evil beings who had caused so much death and destruction already.

Both Vladimir and Stefan turned piercing gazes onto her and smiled nastily at her.

"So, you are the one we have been hearing all about. You do not scare us little girl." Vladimir said with an angry glare.

Hermione smirked, a smirk that would rival one of Severus's, and in a cold steady voice she said,

"Then you should be."

Vladimir and Stefan looked at each other before breaking out in laughter.

"Oh do you hear that; she thinks we should be afraid." Stefan said through peals of laughter.

Wiping imaginary tears from his face Vladimir held up his hands and said,

"Alright enough of these pleasantries. Hermione Granger, we have someone here who desperately wants to meet you. Will you come with us to be reunited with them?" Vladimir asked holding his hand out towards her.

Caius lay his hand on Hermione's shoulder, stopping her from moving further before whispering,

"Don't go it's too dangerous."

"If you want to know how all of this started then you will come with us, I promise you will not be disappointed. I also promise that should you come, none of the Volturi scum will be harmed." Stefan said.

Hermione held her head high and proud and glared at him.

"And why should I trust you?" She asked.

He shrugged his shoulders and laughed at her.

"You shouldn't. But aren't you curious about who the 'traitor' is. Don't you want to know who caused all of this?" He asked gesturing all around him.

Taking a couple of steps forward she heard several murmurs before turning to look at the faces of the Volturi army.

"I will be alright, trust me." With a wave of her hand she cast a large protective shield around them all. "If the Romanians try anything in my absence, they will get a large shock if touching this shield. They will not be able to cross it and you will all be safe. I will cancel it as soon as I return and not before."

"Hermione-" Marcus began but was quickly cut off by a bored and frustrated Vladimir.

"Stop wasting time and decide." He said, with his hand still outstretched towards her.

Hermione turned, casting a heated glare towards him, causing his hand to drop by his side.

"Fine let's go." She said walking away from the Volturi army towards the two vampires who were waiting. She noticed how all the Romanian army began to sneer and snigger the closer she got to them.

As she reached the two awaiting vampires, Stefan went to grab her by the arm but she quickly pulled away and grabbed him by the throat instead, using a speed that neither vampire expected from her.

"I suggest that you don't try that again, as I will not hesitate in snapping your neck" She hissed out menacingly through gritted teeth.

Letting go of his throat, Stefan staggered backwards before sniggering over to Vladimir.

"She's feisty, I like that. It's such a pity that we will have to destroy her in the end." He said.

"Yes such a pity indeed." Vladimir agreed, letting out an exaggerated sigh.

With that the three of them began to walk through the sea of vampires, who were still sniggering and snarling in Hermione's direction. She did not let the stares bother her, instead she kept her head held high and her body poised and alert.

As they moved further through the crowd they came into a smaller clearing, where a small single tent stood.

Vladimir feeling brave pushed Hermione closer to the tent causing her to stumble briefly.

She let out a low feral growl before lurching towards him, pushing him so that he was now lying flat on his back, with her straddling him. She lifted up her hand ready to punch him in the face, when an all too familiar sounding voice came from inside the tent.

"Now Hermione, is that anyway to treat your hosts?"

At the sound of the voice Hermione moved off of Vladimir and slowly rose to her feet, as the figure emerged from inside the tent.

"You." She whispered in shock, as she focused on the red eyes of someone she believed was a friend. Someone who she thought she could trust. How wrong she had been?

"Hello Hermione." The figure said calmly, as the two of them locked gazes with one another.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter Thirty-Two**

Hermione couldn't believe what she was seeing in front of her, or rather who she was seeing. Eldred Worple stood before her now, looking completely different from the wizard she had once known and trusted.

As a wizard he had been small, stout, with spectacles and had shoulder length shaggy brown hair. Now he stood before her not as a wizard but as a vampire. His eyes were bright red and alert and despite their heated color, they looked cold and calculating. Gone was the kindness that he had once shown to her. He no longer needed spectacles anymore, not since he had gained his impressive vampire skills. He stood tall and straight wearing an elegant suit and was broad and hard, instead of small and stout. His face that once wore creases, showing age and stress was smooth and pale, making him look much younger, to the point that he could now be described as being handsome looking. His shaggy brown hair was now replaced with shoulder length silken tresses that was the color of dark chocolate. Overall this was not the man she remembered. The man she had known and respected was long gone.

He took a step towards her and clapped his hands together, before giving her a malicious looking smile.

"I can see from the look on your face at how stunned you are, seeing me standing here before you now. I am glad, for you see I wanted our reunion to be a surprise." He said calmly, as if there was nothing more natural in the world for him, than to stand amongst hundreds of angry vampires before a big battle. "Surprise." He said sarcastically, with a false excited sounding voice.

Once the shock of seeing Eldred Worple as a vampire had subsided, anger began to swell inside of Hermione. After all _he_ was the reason why the Volturi was now at War. _He_ had been the one to order all the death and destruction in the vampire world. _He_ had also been the one to send those soldiers into the village where Morvin had lived. It was because of _him_ that Morvin had been changed at such a young age and had been repeatedly beaten and abused. In Hermione's eyes that was something that could not be so easily forgiven.

"How could you do this? How could you turn your back on the wizarding world and cause all of this destruction? What happened to the man I knew and respected?" She asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

The mask fell from Eldred's face for a moment, as he glared angrily at Hermione.

"You dare stand before me now and ask those questions or have you forgotten everything so easily." His glare turned into a snide smile as he went on to say, "Just like how you had forgotten all about me after the Volturi left Hogwarts that day."

Hermione opened her mouth ready to protest against his accusation but quickly closed it again, when she realized he was right and telling the truth. After the Volturi had visited Hogwarts, she had been thinking only about herself and the decision she had made to leave with them, that she didn't once stop to check on Eldred. She hadn't even paid him a moment's thought afterwards, as she became swept away first by Severus, then by Remus and Dora's wedding and then finally by her decision to leave Hogwarts and go with the Volturi. In the end she had let Eldred down, in more ways than one.

"Eldred I am so sorry. I should have done more for you." She admitted feeling guilt at her actions, or rather her lack of actions.

Eldred started laughing while looking around his group of soldiers, amusement dancing in his bright red eyes, as his gaze was once more drawn back to Hermione.

"You're sorry." He said still laughing. "Do you hear that everyone she is sorry?" He said causing the group around him to start laughing as well. Hermione watched as the amusement in Eldred's eyes quickly vanished and his face turned dark, as his laughter immediately stopped, quieting the others as well. He glared at her once more as he hissed out, "It is far too late for an apology from you now. You asked me how I could turn my back on the wizarding world, the answer to that is easy, _they_ turned their backs on me first." He clasped his hands together behind his back before he began to pace in front of her. All Hermione could do was listen intently as he said, "You see I never really fit in with those people, I was always an outcast in their world. I didn't find my place in this world until I met Sanguini. He introduced me to the vampire world and I felt more at home with them than I had ever felt before. Sanguini promised to change me after my latest book was published, but he never got the chance too." Eldred stopped pacing and turned a heated glare towards Hermione. His eyes were burning with anger and she could feel his pain and hatred radiating from every part of him. "Sanguini never got that chance because _you_ came along Hermione. He told me that the moment he saw you in the Department of Mysteries he wanted you as his own, that's why he turned you. But what we didn't know at the time, was that the attraction he thought he felt for you was actually misplaced. Sanguini felt a pull towards you, which he believed was attraction, but it actually turned out to be the pull a maker feels, when they first see the human they are going to change." He stopped what he was saying and gave her a smug look before continuing on. "I can see by the look on your face that you are confused, so let me clear that up for you. A maker is a vampire who turns another. Some in the vampire world call this pull destiny and some say it's all about the genes and biology, but who really knows for sure. The only thing we know for certain was that Sanguini felt this compulsion to change you, which he did. But that was the first mistake made. The second mistake was mine for agreeing with Dumbledore to meet you. If I hadn't agreed to that then things would have been fine, our lives would have remained the same." Eldred's voice grew grave, as pain crossed his features.

Hermione took that moment of silence to try and digest everything that she had just heard. So Sanguini had felt a pull towards her, which he had thought was attraction but it wasn't. It was the pull between a human and their maker. The moment he saw her it became his destiny to change her. That made sense in Hermione's mind, but it also brought up more questions than answers for her. She turned narrow eyes towards Eldred then asked,

"I don't understand, how has changing me got anything to do with any of this?" She gestured towards the group of vampires as she spoke, indicating the situation they now found themselves to be in.

Eldred whirled around to stare at her, as if he had forgotten that she was even there. With a twisted curl of his lips he said,

"It has everything to do with you my girl. You were the catalyst that caused all of this to happen. You and that mate of yours." He said with a snide smile, when he saw the shock written all over Hermione's face. "Oh yes I know all about you being the leader of the Volturi's mate. Did you know that while you were in Romania I sent him a lovely little gift and letter? I do hope he liked it." Eldred said with an amused smirk.

Vladimir and Stefan who were standing at either side of Hermione sniggered at Eldred's words, as if they were also in on the little joke.

Hermione's whole body stiffened at his words, as she looked straight into Eldred's eyes. She tried to perform legilimency on him but for some reason it didn't work. Frowning at not being able to get the answers that she sought, she asked,

"How could you know about that?"

Eldred started laughing once again, he was having great fun in toying with her. He wanted nothing more than to see her whole world come crashing down around her, just like his had come crashing down around him.

"Would you believe me if I said that it was a lot easier than I could have imagined?" He grinned. "After the Volturi had left Hogwarts, I was so angry and felt so betrayed by everyone. I hated you all for what you had done. You see Hermione I loved Sanguini, and you and that mate of yours took him away from me. I watched him be killed and you done nothing to stop it, you just stood there in all of your powerful glory and done nothing to save him."

Hermione wasn't shocked to hear of Eldred's love for Sanguini. She always felt that there was something strange going on between them. But just didn't know what it was. Remembering the scene of Sanguini's death vividly, she thought back on what she could have done differently, but sadly there was nothing she could have done at the time.

"I'm sorry about Sanguini, Eldred. I truly am but at least your life was spared. The Volturi were never going to let Sanguini go, he had broken their laws and to them needed to pay the price. It didn't matter what I said or did."

Eldred let out a growl of frustration and anger, before backhanding Hermione across the cheek. She growled in return and glared back at Eldred, while the others around her sniggered and cheered in triumph. She would give him that one hit for free as she felt she deserved it, but after that she would not hesitate in retaliating against him.

"You stupid insolent little girl. Do you honestly think I wanted to live after seeing my love, my one hope for a better future be killed in front of my eyes? I would have rather died with him than live my life alone. But you took that choice away from me, just like your mate and his little army took Sanguini away from me." He spat out. "That was your biggest mistake. You should have let me die when you had the chance, for you see I left Hogwarts that day full of anger and hatred wanting only thing, and that was revenge. So I sat there in my lonely house and made plans, knowing that I couldn't do everything I wanted to do as a puny little wizard. I had to find vampires who would change me, vampires who hated the Volturi as much as I did. So naturally I came here to Romania and found Vladimir and Stefan and told them all about my plans to destroy the Volturi once and for all. I bet you can imagine how delighted they were about that. But before I could start implementing my plan, I had to first know if it would work or not. I had to somehow infiltrate the guard, that's where your traitor comes in. This part was much easier to do than I thought. You see all I needed was a charmed diary." He walked back into the tent before coming out holding a green leather bound book in his hand. "I sent its twin to Volterra as a present for Sulpicia, Aro's wife who I believed at the time was his mate. Every day she wrote in it faithfully and everyday her writing appeared in mine. You won't believe all the things she has unintentionally divulged to us, including the fact that you are Aro's true mate, not her. She watched and spied on you everyday, gathering information for me to use. She was even charmed to write a letter to the Romanian cover with information, as a test to see how far I could manipulate her. It didn't take much work on my part I have to say." He smiled at her, a genuine happy and excited smile that sent shivers down Hermione's spine. "This diary has been such a joy to read over these past few months. It has given us all the ammunition that we needed to finally destroy the Volturi. Sulpicia hates you, you know." He said with a small chuckle. "Who can blame her really since you wanted to steal her husband from her? Just like you tried to steal Sanguini away from me."

Hermione shook her head slowly, never once taking her gaze away from Eldred.

"That's not true I never wanted Sanguini like that. My feelings for him was purely friendship, there was nothing romantic between us at all." Hermione said trying to defend herself against his accusations. "As for Aro I spent most of my time trying to resist him, and the feelings that stirred within me."

"Lies." Eldred said tossing the leather book down onto the ground in front of her. "It's all lies. I know about the kiss, I saw you and Sanguini together. You used him and wanted to steal him away from me. You hurt him, just like you hurt poor Severus Snape. That besotted fool was in love with you too and yet you hurt him. You are selfish and greedy and you must pay for your actions."

Hermione held her head high as she gazed at Eldred, her own hatred boiling up to the surface as some of the words he said rang true to her.

"You talk about me being selfish but what about Sanguini hmm. He wasn't as perfect or innocent as you make him out to be, was he? He took my life away from me and changed me into something I never wanted to be. I didn't ask him to have feelings for me, but he still pursued me knowing that I loved another. You blame me for all of this, that's fine, but if Sanguini never turned me then none of this would have ever happened in the first place. In the end he let a compulsion rule his mind and heart, and yet you say that I am the catalyst. But did you ever stop to think that perhaps Sanguini's actions was the catalyst in this?" Hermione knew that she was pulling on straws but she had to say something.

Eldred let out an exasperated sigh and shook his head gently.

"There she goes again, blaming everyone else except herself. So sad really." Eldred gave her a pitiful expression before smiling at her victoriously. "Let us be honest for a moment, you came out of all of this in good stead did you not Hermione? You defeated the Dark Lord, became the only ever known vampire witch in existence, broke the heart of the wizard you claimed to love, moved to Volterra where you met your mate, and was even allowed to keep an immortal child as your own. How is little Morvin by the way? I do hope she is here today, as I wouldn't mind getting to meet her myself."

Those were the wrong words to say to Hermione as anger engulfed her at hearing his hidden threat. Letting out a low growl she charged towards Eldred, who stood still as a statue simply smiling at her, ready to attack and kill him. Before she could get close enough however, her arms were viciously grabbed by Vladimir and Stefan who managed to haul her backwards, away from Eldred. The speed and strength which they used, caused one of Hermione's arms to crack making her cry out in pain, as she fell to the ground and cradled her limp arm with her good one.

"Foolish girl when will you realize that you will not win this battle or this War. As I am going to make sure that every one of you out there dies a most painful death. But don't worry Hermione, you and your mate will be saved until last." He moved towards Hermione and stopped just in front of her, so that he was now looming over her bent figure. "An eye for an eye Hermione. Or rather in this case a death for a death. You and Aro took everything away from me, now I plan on taking everything away from the two of you. First we will kill your friends the Cullen's, as I know how much Vladimir and Stefan want to get their own revenge on them." Eldred said turning his gaze onto the two vampires who were still at either side of Hermione.

"We do indeed. They owe us." Vladimir said with disgust.

"After they are destroyed we will kill the Volturi guard, starting with the three who murdered my love. Santiago, who you don't care much for, Felix and Demetri who you love as brothers." He smiled maliciously at Hermione, when she cried out 'no'. "Oh yes, I will take great pleasure in seeing those three die. But for you Hermione, my greatest pleasure will be when you see me kill your daughter. You will watch on helplessly as I kill the most precious person in your life, right in front of you. Just like how I had to watch the most precious person in my life, be killed in front of me. You will learn exactly how that feels. A death for a death. That my dear Hermione will be your punishment. As for your mate." He said with a snigger before saying, "I will destroy his precious Volturi, everything that he has worked so hard for will be wiped out in front of him. But his punishment will be watching you die. You see the loss of one's mate brings unbearable pain, the likes of which you could never imagine. Your death will be his punishment and I bet afterwards he will gladly follow you into death. I think with regards to Sulpicia, I might just be generous enough to spare her life. After all she has suffered enough by you two already, and she has helped us get this far, unintentionally of course." Eldred pointed his finger towards both Vladimir and Stefan, then down to Hermione. They nodded their heads in silent understanding and helped her stand to her feet, not caring about the pain in her arm caused by the crack.

Hermione grimaced then sent the two vampires a glare before turning her attention back to Eldred.

"Since I am a generous person, I will let you return back to the Volturi and relay to them all that you have heard. You have fifteen minutes in which to do so, after that the battle will begin. But before you go, there is just one more thing that you should know before you leave us." He gave her a triumphant smile, a smile that seemed to hide a secret and filled Hermione with dread. "You wondered why you could not perform legilimency on me, the answer to that is simple. I have always had a good affiliation with vampires, and felt closer to them than magical folk. Once I was changed into the vampire I was always supposed to be, imagine to our delight and surprise in finding out that I am a shield. And not just an ordinary shield but a very powerful one. You may have magic Hermione, you may be the most powerful being in all of existence, but next to me none of that matters. Your powers are useless here. Starting from where the first Romanian soldier stands to the one at the very back, they are all protected by me. Now run along little girl, for your fifteen minutes has now begun." He glanced at his watch and grinned. "Tick, tock, tick, tock."

With that Hermione took off using her vampire speed. She needed to get back to the Volturi army for they were in a lot more danger than they could possible imagine.

* * *

Aro watched on helplessly and in fear, as Vladimir and Stefan escorted Hermione through the crowd of aggressive vampires. As they walked deeper through the sea of people, the path behind them closed until Hermione could no longer be seen.

The last thing Aro wanted to do was allow her to go into the vultures nest alone, knowing how dangerous the situation could be for her. But he could do nothing to stop it. If he tried to stop her then not only would he be showing his weakness to his own army, but he would also be showing it to the enemies as well. They could use that weakness against him and against Hermione herself, and her safety was something that he could not risk. So just like everyone else, he stood watching and waiting for her to return to them.

The Volturi army all stood in silence, with no-one daring to speak against Hermione's capabilities. The truth was they were all terrified that she wouldn't return, but at the same time knew that they had to have confidence and trust in her, just like she had asked them too. So it was with heavy hearts that they watched her leave.

Slowly time passed by and still there were no signs of her coming back to them. In fact the atmosphere was strangely calm and an eerie silence had descended on both armies. To look around at all the vampires, you wouldn't think a battle was just about to take place.

The longer Hermione was gone, the more anxious Aro became. What if something had happened to her? What if she was hurt and couldn't let them know? Or worse still what if they had killed her? Despite how hard he tried, he could not fight these worrying thoughts from entering his mind.

Sensing his fears, Marcus stood rigid and tense next to him. He leaned down to Aro and whispered,

"She is fine brother; I can still sense her presence amongst the enemy. Trust in her." Although he spoke reassuring words in a calm voice, Marcus felt anything but calm. Hermione was like a daughter to him, he loved her more than anything else in his life and had to believe that she was alright, because if he didn't believe that then he would fall. She needed him to be strong and not just for her but for Morvin also.

Aro gave Marcus a discreet nod of his head in reply to his words. He was worried that if he spoke out loud, his pain and fears over his mate would become apparent to anyone listening. Again he couldn't show anyone that his weakness was her.

Looking at his watch once more he decided to give Hermione five more minutes, if she still hadn't returned by then, then the battle would begin.

Fortunately for the Volturi army, moments after making his mind up, the enemy army parted again allowing Hermione to come running through. Despite her best efforts at trying to hide her fear, everyone could see the pain written clearly across her face, before they caught sight of her limp arm.

"Hermione you're hurt." Marcus said, taking her hurt arm gently in his hand, so that he could investigate it further. He found a slight crack near her shoulder and let out a low growl of anger. "Who did this to you?" He asked, silently vowing to kill whoever the guilty person was.

She gave him a small reassuring smile before turning her attention to the Volturi army, and relayed everything that had happened and had been said while she had been gone. Wary of the time passing by.

Caius listened intently to her words then frowned in confusion, knowing that there was something that she was deliberately leaving out.

"Hermione I don't understand. If what you say is true, then how could he possibly know all of that about us?"

There were several murmurs of agreement before Hermione sighed and said,

"I didn't want to tell you this for I know how it looks. But remember this person is innocent, they didn't know what they were doing. Apparently Eldred sent a charmed diary to someone in the guard. When this person wrote in the diary, it fed back everything to the one that he owns. That's how he has been gathering the information on us all." Hermione said in a grave voice.

"And who is this person." Aro asked with disgust. Wondering how someone in his guard could be so stupid to trust an unknown object.

"It was me." A familiar voice said from the back of the group.

At her words everyone turned to look at the distraught face of Sulpicia. She hadn't known that the diary could do such a thing, she had just thought it was a beautiful gift from a secret admirer.

"You." Aro said with shock and disdain. "My own wife a traitor." He spat out angrily.

Before Sulpicia could even say anything in return Hermione moved to stand in front of her.

"Before you start calling your _wife_ a traitor." She said angrily to Aro. "You have to understand that she didn't know that the object was magical. How could she possibly know such a thing? Yes, she made a mistake but she is no traitor. Now before anyone else has the chance to say anything, time is quickly running out and there is something important that you must all know." She looked around at all of the faces before her, some of them were the faces of people she loved and cared for, some of them were of people she disliked or didn't know. But all of the faces, were of people who trusted and supported her, and for that she could not lie to them. "Before this battle begins I am going to give you two choices. The choice to stay and fight or the choice to run and hide." At her words there was a collective gasp followed by several confused murmurs. She held up her hand to silence them before saying, "Before Eldred let me come back to you, he told me something important. He let me know that he is a very powerful shield and that all of his soldiers are protected. Our powers, including mine are useless against them. I know because I tried." She took a moment to compose her next words then said, "This battle has been a trap from the very beginning. He knew what he was doing, hence why he made an army full of newborns. He lured us here tonight with only one intention. To destroy us all." She let the words sink into everyone's minds before asking, "So what is your choice?"

"One moment if you please." Aro said stopping anyone from talking. He turned to look at Jane then said, "If you don't mind." Gesturing to the army opposite them.

She stepped forward and looked at the Romanians with disgust before unleashing her power onto them. Watching in both fear and amazement as nothing happened, the army never once moved, they simply stood there grinning knowingly at her.

"It didn't work Master Aro." Jane said and for the first time since joining the Volturi, she felt fear grip her.

Aro sighed and looked grim, knowing that the only chance they had at winning was now lost to them. He turned his attention back to Hermione, and she nodded her head in understanding before repeating her previously unanswered question.

Several unknown vampires ran from the group in fear, while everyone looked on with grim determination. It was Carlisle who finally broke the tension by saying,

"Tonight we will follow you into battle. We will stay."

After that everyone began to cheer and clap, and as one their decision was made. They would follow Hermione into battle and even in death if they had too.

Feeling her pride swell up at seeing all the determined faces looking back at her, Hermione smiled and held her hand up into the night sky. Everyone followed the movement of her hand with their gazes and watched in fascination as she cast the Light of the Phoenix spell once more. This time as they watched it soar across the sky Hermione noticed a slight change to the phoenix. Around its neck was the Volturi pendant, a symbol of unity.

She gasped in shock when she saw the two sides of her being joined as one. She had finally come to accept who she was and that acceptance was now in the sky for all of them to see now.

Pushing down her emotions, she noticed the time and realized there was only a couple of minutes left before their time was up.

Hurrying she headed towards Athenodora who was clutching Morvin close to her chest.

"Thank you for watching over my little girl, but should anything happen I want you to take this." She went into her pocket and pulled out a small hairpin before placing it into Athenodora's hand. "If you find yourself in danger, simply take this in both of your hands and whisper the password." She turned to Morvin and gave her a loving smile. "It is the name of our beloved dragon. This is a portkey and will take you to safety once it has been activated." Dropping a lingering kiss onto Morvin's head, Hermione pulled back and said, "I always wanted a daughter you know, I just never dreamed that I would be lucky enough to get you." With one last kiss, Hermione squeezed her eyes shut and whispered, "I love you." Then without glancing back she walked away from her daughter and headed to her place at the front of the Volturi army.

Wiping away the fallen tears, she shut her eyes and found her center, before turning an angry glare towards the enemy lines. Adjusting her stance, she got into her defensive position and scowled.

"Everyone get into position now. The plan is I will aim for Eldred and once he is destroyed Jane and Alec can use their powers. This army will be destroyed and we will win."

Several cheers went up from her army but at the same time, Eldred's voice could be heard.

"Such a wonderful speech Hermione, but remember a death for a death." At that his army began to chant his phrase over and over again, so that they were now much louder than the Volturi army. The Romanians looked angry and determined, with a maniacal glint shining in their red eyes, they wanted nothing more than to rip the Volturi into shreds.

" _Attack_." Hermione yelled and all at once both sides ran towards each other, crashing together like waves against a rock. She heard growls and roars coming from all around her, as she punched, kicked, bit, and head-butted all those people who got in her way. She was too focused on trying to reach Eldred at the other side of the army, to notice what else was going on around her. She needed to concentrate and reach her target, otherwise all hope would be lost.

The newborn army were strong, much stronger than she could have ever imagined, and several times she found herself being tossed into the crowd. Her limp arm didn't help matters at all, and only managed to slow her down further.

She felt her anger and magic flow around her, but every time she tried to unleash it, it seemed like her body was simply sucking the power back into her. It was frustrating that she couldn't do anything to stop it.

Despite her arm hurting like hell, she was still able to kill and destroy those enemies who came into contact with her. She was centered and just like what happened with Felix in the dome room that day, Hermione was able to see her enemies come towards her as if in slow motion. Because of this power, one which Eldred couldn't take away from her, she was able to predict and anticipate her enemies' next moves. What she wasn't able to predict though however, was a large male vampire charging at her from behind, when her attention was fully on another. He managed to ram into her back, chucking her to the ground before straddling and pinning her to the dirt. He was so much stronger than she was, and despite how hard she tried to kick out at him, the bulky vampire could not be moved.

Hermione knew what was going to happen the moment he wrapped his large bearlike hands around her neck, knowing it wouldn't take him long to snap it like a twig.

With one more futile attempt, she tried again to buck the large vampire off, but to no avail. Instead he tightened her grip on her throat. Wincing at the pain, she waited for death, but it never happened.

Instead she felt the weight of the vampire being pulled off her body, and when she turned to see what was happening, both Alec and Jane were working as a team to destroy the large vampire.

Hermione watched with awe and fascination as together the twins pulled off the vampire's head before flinging it carelessly onto the ground, as they wore matching smirks on their faces.

Getting to her feet Hermione looked at Jane especially before saying,

"But I thought you hated me?"

For the first time since they had known each other Jane gave Hermione a genuinely warm smile.

"I don't hate you Hermione, not anymore. I did at the beginning I confess but that was until I found out you were my Master's mate."

Hermione looked on in shock before smiling at them.

"Thank you." She whispered, still not believing that Jane of all people had just saved her life.

"No worries. Now go. You have a vampire to kill." Jane said, as she spun around on her heels and began to fight in unison with her brother once more. They made an amazingly brilliant yet vicious little team together.

Hermione shook the shock from her head before taking a moment to look around, as she surveyed the damage all about her. They hadn't been fighting for long but as her gaze drifted over the scenes around her, she noticed that chaos was everywhere. She could feel her heart sink as she glimpsed all of the bodies and remains lying strewn on the ground, not knowing if they belonged to her friends or foes. She watched as members of her army fought those who were bigger and stronger than what they were, and knew that if it continued like this they would lose.

Hermione looked on desperately wondering if all hope was lost to them, when her little beaded bag began to glow red. Looking at it in shock, she opened it up only to be blinded by a red light that was coming from the gemstone of her circlet. Curiously she put her hand into her bag and touched the circlet, and the moment she did, she felt herself disappearing as if by portkey.

Aro and Caius who had stopped to see what Hermione was doing, watched in dread and fear as Hermione vanished on the spot, believing that she had deserted them in the midst of battle.

Feeling his own heart sink Caius shouted,

"Everyone fall back."

The Volturi army did as they were commanded before once again falling back into their previous positions. Taking the place of Hermione, Caius stood in position just as the mocking voice of Eldred could be heard.

"I see your brave leader has abandoned you all to the wolves." He laughed happily before saying, "It's a pity there's no-one to save you now."

Before Caius had the chance to say anything more, there were several loud cracks around them as Dumbledore and several other wizards came to stand by those in front of the Volturi army.

"Actually Eldred that isn't exactly true." Dumbledore said, his baby blue eyes twinkling merrily.

To say that he was shocked was an understatement, but there was nothing the foolish wizards could do. There magic wouldn't work against his power as a shield.

Eldred laughed at this thought before saying,

"This is even better than I had hoped for. Not only do we get to annihilate the Volturi army, but I also get to destroy the Great Albus Dumbledore. You should have stayed in your school old man for this is not your War."

Dumbledore smiled into the glaring faces of the Romanian army before saying,

"When you attacked one of our own you made it our War, Eldred. Hermione may be a vampire but she is also a witch and is still one of us. Tonight the wizarding world stands united with the vampire world. They have our support. Now wizards raise your wands." Albus commanded, in a voice that was so far from his own. "Cast the strongest shield charm that you can." At his order the wizards all complied casting a strong shield charm and watched as they melted into one, similar to what Hermione's normally looked like. "This will hopefully hold and give us enough time."

"Enough time for what, Hermione has gone." Caius said angrily.

Dumbledore chuckled and shook his head, his eyes twinkling brighter than ever before.

"You shall see my boy. You shall see." As soon as he had stopped speaking, an answering yowl came from somewhere behind them all.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter Thirty-Three**

 **Previously-** _ **'She who holds the power of two worlds, will perish in fire and death. A friend who is foe wishes to harm her. While a foe who is friend wishes to help. But only the golden light can save her, before the dark one can reach her.' Sybill Trelawney's second prophecy concerning Hermione.**_

The moment Hermione's hand touched the smooth metal of the circlet Charlie had given her, she felt the whole world begin to spin around, before falling to the ground with a loud 'oomph.'

Momentarily stunned she simply lay there flat on her stomach while looking around, stopping when she saw the two smiling faces of Charlie and Phil. Getting up to her feet, Hermione dusted herself off before sending an irritated glare towards her two friends.

"What the hell just happened? And please don't tell me that you put a bloody portkey in the circlet Charlie?" She said holding up the offending object for them to see.

Charlie chuckled as he walked towards Hermione wearing a proud, smug smile on his face. While Phil followed closely behind looking a little more guilty and sheepish. He knew that Charlie's plan wouldn't be a good idea and that they would be lucky to leave this situation unscathed, as Hermione was looking pretty annoyed at them at the moment.

"Not quite a portkey Hermione. The circlet is a direct link between you and Nafeesa. Since you are the rider of the alpha, if you get into trouble or need help, the circlet will sense that and bring you right to her."

Hermione looked stunned before quickly saying,

"Wait, what?"

Charlie sighed and shook his head in frustration, he could actually see the questions dancing in her eyes and should have known nothing would be simple when it came to Hermione. She always had to ask a million and one questions and had to know every little detail before fully accepting a situation. Normally he would have found that endearing, but right now it was exasperating. He didn't have the time or patience for that just now as they had things to do, places to be and battles to win.

Ushering Hermione into a small empty room he said,

"Get in there and get your dragonrider outfit on. You have two minutes, so go. Quickly." He shut the door behind her, not giving her a chance to say a single word, then headed into the lounge area, which was currently being occupied by order members.

The younger ones in particular were looking nervous and pale, while the older members were trying to look confident and brave. To be honest Charlie couldn't blame them for feeling that way. Although each of them had been part of the Wizarding War in some way or another, nothing could possibly prepare them for what they were about to face.

They all knew that Hermione was here and that they wouldn't get the chance to see or speak to her. But they didn't know why she was here. All Charlie had said to them was, she needed to collect something of great importance before going back into the battle. The only one who knew the real reason was Dumbledore.

"Hermione's getting changed." Charlie whispered, upon entering the room. "She will be out soon." He said looking directly towards Dumbledore, who was giving him a knowing look in return.

"Good." Dumbledore replied. "Do you all remember what the plan is?" He asked glancing around at all the order members, who simply mumbled an answering yes in reply, or nodded their heads in understanding. "Very well then let's go."

With that everyone rose to their feet as one, and once Dumbledore had given his order, they all quickly apparated away simultaneously with resounding cracks, leaving only Charlie and Phil behind.

The moment everyone had gone, the two wizards flicked their wands over their clothes and changed into their own dragonriders outfits just in time, for Hermione suddenly came stomping in towards them wearing her outfit and a murderous glare upon her beautiful pale face.

"All right I've changed. Now will one of you please tell me what the hell I'm doing here? I was in the middle of a battle in case you didn't already know." She huffed, her voice sounding exasperated and impatient.

Charlie chuckled again at seeing Hermione looking so wound up. He always took a perverse pleasure in seeing her like that and wouldn't have minded teasing her some more, but sadly they were running out of time.

"Isn't it obvious Hermione? The circlet wouldn't have brought you here to us if you weren't in need of help."

Understanding finally hit Hermione as she listened to Charlie's words and it was only then that she noticed the outfits they were both wearing.

Taking a step back, her eyes wide with surprise and her hands firmly placed on her hips she asked,

"What do you think you are doing? You are not coming with me and neither is Nafeesa." At the mention of her dragon's name, an answering yowl came from outside.

Dropping her hands from her hips, she gave the two wizards a pointed look, then headed out to where Nafeesa and two other dragons were standing waiting patiently. The moment yellow eyes spotted her across the short distance, Nafeesa came running towards Hermione, her long forked tongue instantly licking its way up her body.

Giggling, as always, Hermione buried her head against Nafeesa's scaly skin and nuzzled into her, enjoying the feeling of being with her friend and familiar once more.

"I've missed you too girl." Hermione whispered lovingly, while stroking Nafeesa's neck soothingly.

Hermione couldn't lie she had been missing Nafeesa terribly, ever since she had departed from the Dragon Sanctuary. She wanted to see her friend and familiar again but not under these circumstances. She _had_ thought about riding her into battle, but that thought hadn't lasted long. It was bad enough that she had to ask her friends and family- the Cullen's, Felix, Demetri, Marcus and even Caius to join her int battle, that she didn't want anyone else to join her unnecessarily either. Especially not Nafeesa. As far as Hermione saw it, now that she knew who the enemy was, she felt that this war was her battle, that she had caused it in some way.

Watching the two friends reuniting with one another, Charlie gave them both some privacy, but time was not on their side. He slowly walked up to them and gently placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder causing her to tense up instantly at the contact.

No words needed to be exchanged in that moment, and as she looked up into Charlie's serious face, everything just seemed to become clear to her. Hermione now knew why she was standing here in front of Nafeesa, instead of still fighting in a losing battle. She now knew what she had to do in order to win, despite how much the victory would cost her in the end. But not only that, she now knew who the Volturi army needed her to be. They had all given her so much and now she had to step up and become the leader they so needed, if they wanted to win this war once and for all.

With a renewed determination, and a confidence she didn't quite feel yet, Hermione turned to her two friends with a serious yet calm expression on her face. They could see the change in her demeanor and understood what this meant for them.

"Gentlemen mount your dragons. It's time to go to war."

At her words Charlie couldn't hide his excitement as he pumped his fist into the air and said,

"Yes, now that's what I'm talking about."

All three riders mounted their dragons in a synchronized flawless movement, and since Nafeesa was the alpha she led the way as all three took to the air at once. Before they reached the wards, the three riders disillusioned themselves, as Nafeesa and Hermione's combined power flowed over them, allowing the three of them to pass through the wards without a problem.

Once free of the wards, the dragons soared quickly and effortlessly through the air knowing where they were to go. As the alpha Nafeesa led the way while nestled protectively between the two other dragons who flanked her. They glided through the air heading straight towards the Hoia-Baciu forest where the battle had now stilled, while unknowingly waiting for their arrival.

With her expert hearing, Nafeesa could hear Dumbledore's voice whispering through the wind, and in reply to his words she let out a loud yowl in order to reassure him that they were coming and would reach them soon.

As they grew closer to the battle, Hermione couldn't hide her shock when she looked down and saw what was going on below her, thankful that she was disillusioned to hide the overwhelming burst of emotions flooding through her. She needed to stay calm and in control, but seeing her friends and fellow order members standing there amongst the Volturi vampires, holding up a shield charm to protect them and stop an enemy attack, momentarily threw her. She hadn't expected to see them but knowing Dumbledore and seeing everything that Charlie and Phil had done this far, she couldn't really say that she was surprised.

Centering herself, in order to calm her wayward feelings and to focus on what she had to do, Hermione drew in all of the confidence she had and wrapped it around herself, giving her an air of authority. Once she felt ready, only then did she begin the descent onto the ground below, at the back of where the Volturi army stood.

She did not have to communicate to Charlie or Phil to do the same, as the other two dragons simply followed their leader. Once they had reached the ground, Hermione cancelled the disillusionment spell on all three of them, as Nafeesa let out a menacing yowl, drawing the attention of every single vampire and wizard there was.

The Volturi army all turned at once to look at the new arrivals, wearing matching looks of fear, shock and amazement when they saw Hermione riding a fearsome dragon. They parted in the middle, as Hermione jumped off Nafeesa and began to walk towards the battlefield, ignoring the looks she received from all the people she cared about. Her focus was solely on the enemy, as she tried to spot Eldred who was hiding amongst his army like the coward that he was.

Nafeesa followed behind Hermione, making small yowling noises of warning, as Charlie and Phil rode their dragons behind.

Once Hermione had reached the front of the Volturi army she stopped in between a twinkling Dumbledore and a stunned looking Aro, but still her gaze never wavered from the enemy. Although she couldn't see Eldred, Vladimir or Stefan she could feel their gazes on her and that was enough.

"My name is Hermione Jean Granger. I am a witch of Hogwarts, a vampire of the Volturi and dragonrider to the alpha. I _am_ the Volturi witch of Hogwarts." Her voice sounded loud and clear, breaking the silence that had fallen over the battlefield. At her words she could feel the excitement spark around her, as her presence and new look filled the others with confidence. "You wanted a war Eldred and now you shall have one."

At her words, laughing sounded from amongst the enemy army. And although she could pinpoint where the sound was coming from, she could still not see the source of it himself.

"How very theatrical of you Hermione, bringing a dragon along for the ride. Who knew you had it in you?" He chuckled, as he tried to disguise his nervousness with sarcasm. "But your scare tactics won't work on us. My army is much more powerful and there are too many of us for you to fight. Besides you have no powers to use against us. Do you really think that you can win hmm?"

Nafeesa moved to stand next to Hermione, a show of solidarity, as she growled and hissed at the enemy, bringing fear to them.

"If I was you Eldred, I would take your army and run now before it is too late." Hermione warned, already knowing what his reply to that would be.

"You think that your words can scare me?" Eldred yelled out in anger. "I came here for one thing, to destroy you and the Volturi once and for all. I will not leave until I have killed every last one of you. Including your pet dogs and wizard friends." He laughed again then said, "Imagine my delight knowing that not only will I, Eldred Worple, destroy you and the Volturi. But I will also get to defeat the great and powerful Albus Dumbledore as well."

Hermione heard the warning hiss come from Nafeesa at the insult, and so placed a reassuring hand on her side. She would get her chance soon, of that Hermione had no doubt.

"I think Eldred, that you should be very scared." She replied in a steady voice. "For you and your army will be destroyed long before you get the chance to hurt those I love."

She took a step forward before her arm was suddenly grabbed from behind. Turning her head to face the owner of the hand wrapped around her arm, she tensed once more as she gazed into familiar dark eyes. Eyes that she had once believed were black but were actually a very dark brown.

"I think perhaps you would feel better, if you grasped your wand." The familiar silky drawl said, sending shivers of longing and confusion down her spine.

Shaking the inappropriate thoughts from her mind, she watched as his long pale hand went into his black robes, pulling out a precious piece of wood and holding it out for her to inspect. She could feel her wand calling to her, causing her magic to pulsate through her body.

With a shaking hand she reached forward and curled slender fingers around the familiar Blackthorn wand, and the moment her skin made contact with it, a brilliant white light engulfed her, as master and wand were once more reunited. Turning a thankful smile to Severus she whispered,

"Thank you." Before taking several step backwards.

With one fluid movement she cast the biggest and strongest shield charm she could muster, encasing everyone she cared about under a powerful protective dome.

"From now on, the battle for you is over. This fight is mine and mine alone, and I intend to finish it."

Without another word Hermione jumped up onto Nafeesa's back, as together they flew up into the sky, with Charlie and Phil's dragons following closely behind. Just like with the wards back at the Dragon Sanctuary, they were immune to her powerful protective spell as well.

The enemy vampires began to panic and moved further backwards, while watching the three dragons fly up into the sky before nose diving down towards them.

The dragons were vicious in their attack as they used their sharp claws and teeth to rip the vampire's stone like bodies into shreds. Then they used the full force of their fire to destroy what was left.

"Attack them, don't just stand there. Fight." Eldred's panicked voice screamed out, as some of his army tried to run and escape in fear.

"Charlie, Phil create a ring of fire blocking them in. I don't want any of them getting away." Hermione was all too aware of what she was asking, and tried not to think about the vision that she had. But she also knew that this was the only way. There was no other choice in the matter.

"Hermione I can't do that. You know what will happen if we do. Please don't ask that of me." Charlie pleaded, knowing what would happen to Hermione if they did that, and not wanting to take the chance.

Hermione heard the pleading in his voice and wanted to know how he knew about her vision, but now was not the time to ask questions. So she simply nodded her head in agreement.

Charlie let out a breath of relief but before he could say anything Hermione cut him off.

"Fine I won't ask that of you." She said. "But Nafeesa can ask your dragons and they have to follow the orders of their alpha."

As soon as Hermione finished speaking, Nafeesa let out a piercing yowl aimed at the two dragons beside her. At once they turned in opposite directions and spat out a large circle wall of fire, blocking the Volturi army out of sight and trapping the enemy army within the wall of flames.

Before the circle of fire had closed, she caught sight of a pained looking Dumbledore, and mouthed only one word to him. 'Sorry.'

Turning her attention back to the vampires at hand, she searched the crowd for Eldred and ordered Charlie and Phil to continue the attack. While she sought to kill her main target. Only then would she be able to use her power to destroy them all.

Locating him at last, Nafeesa flew towards him, killing those vampires who got in her way, before landing on the ground. She let out a fierce cry and slowly stalked towards her target. Spitting fire at those who stood in her path.

Eldred watched feeling hopeless, as the vicious dog made its way towards him, killing those unfortunate to attack. He could sense the wall of fire near his back and knew that there was no escape for him. He was losing this battle now that she had once again outsmarted him. As he locked gazes with Hermione, he felt nothing but unadulterated hatred for the girl who took everything away from him. With that final thought, Eldred decided that if he was going to die, he was going to make damn sure that his death would not be an easy victory for her.

"You think that you have won. Well you haven't yet." The numbers of his army were still strong, all he needed was for them to overpower the dragon from all angles and overthrow it. "Everyone attack the beast, concentrate on the alpha. Kill it." And just like that all of his pathetic minions turned towards Hermione and her dog, before attacking them.

They were quick and strong attacking Nafeesa from all angles, swarming all around her. But she was just as fast, as she spat fire at them and used her teeth, claws and spiked tail to kill. While she was dealing with them, Hermione jumped down and fought those who blocked her way to Eldred. She wasn't too worried about Nafeesa as she was big and fearsome and could look after herself. Charlie and Phil also arrived helping Nafeesa to rid herself of attackers.

Finally making it through the bodies to Eldred, she stopped in front of him and glared at his smirking face.

"Why? Why do all of this, just for revenge on me and the Volturi. Why kill and turn all of those innocent people?"

Eldred simply smiled and looked at all of the carnage around him, not feeling an ounce of guilt or regret.

"Because I could. And because I wanted too. Why should these people get happily ever after's while mines was taken away from me?"

Hermione shook her head at Eldred and frowned.

"You think Sanguini would have wanted this." She asked, seeing Eldred instantly tense as she gestured to the devastation around them.

"Shut up." He hissed out, as Hermione took a small step towards him.

"Do you honestly think Sanguini ever wanted you?" She teased again, as she moved ever closer to him.

Eldred's hands balled into fists at her words. How dare she speak of Sanguini, she knew nothing of him or of what he wanted.

"I said shut up." He yelled, but instead Hermione continued goading him, enjoying the effect she was having on him.

"Sanguini would have been ashamed of the person you've become. It's probably a good thing that he's dead, so he doesn't need to witness this."

Hermione's words were the last straw for Eldred making something snap inside of him, as he screamed and charged towards her. No longer caring about anything else other than destroying her.

"Shut up." He screamed as he took a swipe at Hermione, but missing. She ducked and managed to land a punch on his stomach, causing him to stumble and almost fall.

He managed to find his footing and charged once again at her, but she was too fast and much more experienced than he was. His fighting skills were slow and sloppy, as he didn't think he would need to practice. He assumed the victory over the Volturi would be an easy one and that he wouldn't have a physical part in it. How wrong he had been. Again he had underestimated her.

Hermione used her shoulder to ram into Eldred, this time successfully knocking him to the ground. She straddled him and gazed down at the man she once considered a mentor and possible friend.

"You've lost Eldred. I hope it was all worth it." She whispered.

He gazed up at her and smiled, a smile that was neither warm nor friendly.

"It was."

Before Hermione could finish him off, a shadow fell across them both, and when Eldred looked up it was into angry yellow eyes and a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. Fear and panic settled in him and before he could open his mouth to let out the scream that wanted to be unleashed, Nafeesa let out a low menacing growl before jerking forward and clamping her mouth down onto his neck. With his whole head engulfed in her mouth she bit down, snapping it off. With several loud crunching noises, she dropped the shards of Eldred's head onto the ground, away from Hermione, and set them on fire until they were nothing but smoke and ash.

Hermione grinned at Nafeesa and rose to her feet, just as the enemy vampires used their distraction to their own advantage. They swarmed around Nafeesa and Hermione, separating them while they fought their own battles.

Charlie and Phil were too far away to help them, while they fought and took out the rest of the vampires. Hermione tried to keep an eye on Nafeesa but was too busy herself. Now that Eldred was gone she could now use her magic to propel balls of light at her enemies, causing them to explode on impact. But now that she had the use of her wand again, she could enhance and duplicate the balls of light launching three at a time, killing more vampires.

Hermione was so focused on what she was doing, that she didn't pay any attention to Nafeesa, until she heard a loud howling noise coming from behind. It wasn't the sound of anger or warning that she normally let out, it was the sound of pain.

Finishing killing the two vampires in front of her, Hermione turned on her heel and saw Nafeesa struggling to fight off about fifty newborn vampires. They had jumped up onto her back, a place that she couldn't reach to fight them off.

Nafeesa let out another sharp cry of pain as a menacing vampire brutally tore at her flesh, causing her to fall to the ground.

"No." Hermione cried out running towards Nafeesa, firing ball after ball towards those who were attacking her friend. Her anger became uncontrollable as she fought, making her way through them all as quickly as she could.

Hearing Nafeesa's cries of pain Charlie and Phil's dragons also came soaring through the sky, fighting to protect their fallen leader.

Reaching Nafeesa, Hermione looked down and fell to her knees, cupping her friends face, as she let out painful panting breaths

"Don't you dare die on me? Do you hear me? You will get out of here and you will recover. You have too. I can't lose you, not now or ever." Hermione whispered nuzzling her cheek against the familiar scaly skin.

In reply, Nafeesa's tongue slowly came out and licked Hermione's face lovingly, but this time Hermione did not giggle like she normally did.

"Please don't die on me, I love you. You're my best friend and I need you." Hermione whispered, as a single tear ran down her cheek.

"Hermione." Charlie said, causing her head to snap up.

Standing to her feet, Hermione wiped the tear away and felt her anger well up inside of her. There was only about one hundred newborn vampires left, but after what they had done to Nafeesa, one hundred was still too many in her eyes.

"Charlie, Phil take Nafeesa out of here. Save her, do whatever you can but save her. Ask the order members to cast a protective shield against the fire to hold it in place. Tell them under no circumstances have they to lower the shield. I will end this fight now."

"Hermione no, one of us could stay and help." Charlie pleaded, knowing that the end was near.

"No, you both need to save Nafeesa. And please, tell Athenodora to take Morvin away. I don't want her to have to see anything. Now go." She yelled, leaving no room for arguments.

Charlie knew there was nothing he could say or do to stop her, she was more determined and terrifying than he had ever seen her and there was no changing her mind. Especially when she wanted Morvin away from her.

"Alright, but please be safe." He replied.

Hermione didn't say anything, she didn't have too, for they both knew what was about to happen. Destiny had already been written and time had finally run out for her. She watched as Charlie and Phil's dragons moved into the air, while the riders performed a levitating spell on Nafeesa, moving her to safety. Once they had gone she turned an angry glare onto the vampires who looked on at her with smirks, thinking that they had her beaten now. How could one vampire witch possibly destroy an army of one hundred newborn vampires on her own?

"If you want me, then you have to come and get me." She said calmly, before running into the middle of the circle of fire. The enemy vampires didn't have to chase her far, as they surrounded her to the center.

"Come now Hermione don't be like that." Vladimir said, as he and Stefan stepped forward. "We never really wanted you dead that was all Eldred's idea. We just wanted the Volturi and the Cullen's dead." He said with a nasty smirk.

"Come, join us instead." Stefan added. "Imagine how powerful we could be together. A new triage, a new power to overthrow the Volturi."

Hermione held her wand out to them and smiled,

"The only way for me to sink low enough to join you, will be over my dead body."

Vladimir laughed and turned a grinning face towards Stefan.

"Did you hear that, over her head dead body she says?"

Stefan looked at Hermione, his face void of all emotions as he said,

"I'm sure that can be arranged."

Hermione shut her eyes and focused on all of her emotions, replaying memories in her mind to spark the great well of emotion that she needed. Her magic crackled and sparked around her, and using the power of enhancement she multiplied her feelings tenfold, creating a ring of bluish white light that orbited around her.

Opening her eyes she watched as the ring of light swirled around her, not believing that she had done it.

"What is this? What is she doing?" Vladimir asked, both mesmerized and terrified by what he was seeing.

"This gentlemen, is what the end looks like for you." Using her wand, she focused all of her magic and pushed it through the wood in her hand using it as a conductor, then with all the strength and power she possessed she pushed her magic out of her body.

The circle of light that was orbiting her, grew and expanded before quickly blasting towards the vampires all around her, engulfing them in light. As if a nuclear bomb had just gone off, there was a loud explosion before a huge burst of light filled the black night sky.

The bodies of the vampires around her burst into flames before turning into ash and floating into the night sky.

Hermione shielded her eyes at the burst of light, but as she opened them she saw nothing but flames and dark swirling ash, bodies from those who had died before the explosion still lay discarded on the ground unaffected by her powerful magic.

Looking around, she noticed that this was the exact same scene from her vision, and feeling drained and empty she sank to her knees, having no strength to keep herself up. The power of the magic she had just used, weakened her immensely and she could feel her body failing.

Falling onto the ground, her body lay amongst those who were dead and those who were ash, the flames crept closer to her, but she couldn't move to escape.

She looked up into the night sky at the beautiful twinkling stars, and as the flames colored the darkened sky with its orange glow, she smiled as she finally realized she had done it, the war was over, the battle had been won and her friends and loved ones were safe.

The only thing she wished now, was for the chance to say goodbye to Morvin, to tell her that she loved her and that she would always be her daughter. But the chance for Hermione to say goodbye was over.

Squeezing her eyes shut, a single tear escaped as she braced herself for what was to come. Death would soon claim her and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

* * *

The moment Aro had seen Hermione show up with the dragon, he knew what was to come. He was no fool; he had seen the vision she had.

He felt dread and fear, the likes of which he had never felt before, when he saw the two dragons spit a circle of fire out, keeping the Volturi army out and the Romanian army inside. It was the exact same scene from her vision, although from a different viewpoint.

"Shouldn't we try and help." Demetri asked, also aware of what was to come.

"No, Hermione must do this on her own." Dumbledore replied, chancing a glance at Severus who looked even paler than normal. He knew instantly what the other wizard was thinking.

"So what, all we do now is wait." Remus asked, running his hand through his hair in sheer frustration. He hadn't come all this way for nothing, he hadn't come to witness his best friend and godmother to his son, die without doing anything to help.

"Hermione knows what she is doing." Dumbledore said, not sure of who he was trying to convince more, them or himself.

"Let's hope you're right for all of our sakes." Severus replied, his cold hard stare never leaving the fire in front of him.

While they all spoke Aro simply watched on, the mating bond between him and Hermione had grown and now he could feel everything that she was feeling. Anger, pain, fear, frustration, determination. It flowed through him just as it did her.

He could feel every time she triumphed over an enemy, but as time passed on, and still they knew nothing, he could feel her rage build to a crescendo.

"Something has happened; she is beyond angry." He whispered.

"What? What's happened how can you possibly know?" Severus asked, disbelieving the man he hated more than even James Potter.

"Is it the mating bond?" Marcus asked turning to look at his brother with interest.

"Yes. She is livid and wait…." He held up his finger to quieten everyone and concentrated on the feelings he was receiving from Hermione. "She's in pain but not the physical kind, emotional pain, someone is hurt. She's upset." Turning to Alice, Aro asked, "Do you see anything?"

Alice sighed and shook her head in the negative.

"No, I haven't been able to see her future in a while. Not since the vision."

"What vision?" Severus asked, in a quiet angry voice. He hated the fact that other people seemed to know more about Hermione than what he did.

"Hermione and I both shared a vision in which she…." Alice couldn't finish the sentence as she turned away, burying her face into Jasper's comforting arm.

" _She who holds the power of two worlds, will perish in fire and death_." Albus whispered. "Trelawney's prophecy is true." His voice was soft and gentle as he turned sad eyes towards Severus.

"No." He said sternly, as realization hit him. He didn't want to believe it, there had to be something he could do anything. Before he could think about it, someone said,

"Look someone's coming."

Everyone's attention turned towards the wall of fire as Charlie and Phil came flying towards them, levitating an injured looking Nafeesa. Lowering her safely onto the ground, their dragons landed as well, and while Charlie went towards his fellow order members, Phil went to look at Nafeesa's injuries, followed closely by the other two dragons.

"Charlie what's happened?" Dumbledore asked, the moment Charlie was close enough to them.

Before he replied, Charlie turned and whispered something into Demetri's ear, who then turned to Athenodora, who was holding on tightly to Morvin's hand.

"You must leave now." Demetri said.

Picking up Morvin, she pulled out the portkey and together they vanished out of sight, only then did Charlie answer Dumbledore's question.

"She killed Eldred but there were too many vampires, they were too strong and overpowered us. She told us to go, Albus I tried to stop her but she wouldn't listen."

Dumbledore lay a comforting hand on his shoulder and gently squeezed it.

"It's alright my boy I know how Hermione can be. Did she say anything to you?" He asked.

"Yes, she wants you all to cast the strongest shield charm against the flames and hold it. She said under no circumstances have you to lower it."

Dumbledore looked around at his fellow order members and without question each of them complied, casting a strong shield charm that held the flames in place.

"What else?"

Charlie never had the chance to reply, as from the circle of fire came a large flash of blueish white light. It hit the protection charm, but the wizards were able to hold it despite the power that had been behind the light.

Then the loudest explosion sounded, as that same light blasted through the air. The sheer force of it, knocking everyone off their feet.

From their positions on the ground, all they could do was watch as the bluish white light faded away leaving only the light of the dancing flames, as they grew bigger and angrier. From their position they could see a large black cloud of smoke rise into the air, except as it fell to the ground it showered them in ash and dust.

"It's done, it's over the battle has been won."

An unknown vampire shouted as cheers rang through the air. Only those in the Volturi, the Cullen's and the order members knew the true price victory had cost.

"Hermione." Severus whispered in pain, as his heart clenched at the thought of never seeing her face again.

Across the other side of him, Aro hissed and turned to look at Marcus and Dumbledore.

"Aro what's wrong?" Marcus asked with great concern.

"It's Hermione." Aro whispered, clutching himself as he felt the mating bond pull at him. "She's still alive, but I can feel her fading. She's giving up." He whispered.

"There must be something we can do to help." Remus asked.

Silence filled the air before one voice whispered,

"There is one thing we can do to save her."

And with that all eyes turned to look at Marcus, as they waited for him to say more.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter Thirty-Four**

The silence would have been deafening if it hadn't been for the crackling of the roaring fire surrounding them, as everyone sat enraptured, having just listened to what Marcus had to say.

Some of the group wore looks of understanding, while others looked on in fear and disbelief. One man however looked on with complete contempt, as he stood with his famous scowl on his pale face, with his arms folded across his chest. He didn't like Marcus's plan at all and wasn't afraid to voice his displeasure at it.

"You cannot be serious. Surely there must be a better way than _that_." He hissed out.

Caius looked at the surely dark wizard and frowned at him.

"Oh and do you think you can come up with a better idea then?" He challenged.

Severus raised his eyebrow and glared at the blonde vampire, unable to hide his disdain at not only him but at the whole situation. It had only been minutes since the explosion but even that was too long. Hermione needed help and she needed it now.

"I could fly over and get her." He suggested, but Charlie put a stop to that idea almost as quickly as it was said.

"You wouldn't be able to see her Professor, the smoke is too thick and mixed in with the ash, all you would see is blackness." He turned to address the whole group and said, "Hermione needs our help now, and us talking about it isn't helping her. Dragon fire is different to normal fire, it's stronger, more powerful. It can't be handled or manipulated so will be too difficult to extinguish. It's a bit like fiendfyre in that sense, eventually it will go out itself, but we don't have time for that. We need to act now. If Marcus says that's the only way, then I trust him. And I will help in any way that I can to save my friend."

"I agree." Remus said, earning a betrayed scowl from Severus. "This isn't about any of us." Remus said, mostly to Severus and his wounded pride. "This is about Hermione. And if this is the only way then so be it."

"And what if it fails? What then?" Severus argued.

"It won't." Marcus replied, knowing what the dark wizard was going through.

"And how can _you_ be so sure."

Marcus sighed, not wanting to repeat what he had just said, but knowing he had no other choice if he wanted to help Hermione, sooner rather than later.

"Because the bond they share is powerful and if anyone can do it then he can."

Severus turned his death glare towards the vampire he so detested, the vampire who seemed to always get in his way.

"I will not be a part of this fiasco any longer and if Hermione dies because of you, then I will not be responsible for my actions." He snarled before walking away from the group, thinking that there must be a better way. Anything, other than what Marcus was proposing.

It was probably a good thing that Severus Snape, the most feared Professor at Hogwarts, had left the group and was no longer in earshot, for Ron Weasley, who was incredibly confused about the whole situation turned to the group of people around him and asked,

"Wait a minute, bonded and mated to him." He indicated to Aro. "But I thought, you know, she was…." While speaking he created a circle with his thumb and pointer finger of his left hand, while using his pointer finger from his right hand to poke in and out of the circle. "With the greasy git?"

Although it was not the most appropriate time, some of those in the circle began to snigger at what Ron was indicating. Arthur, who was one of those people, cleared his throat before slapping the back of Ron's head.

Putting his hand to the injured spot, Ron turned a red face to his father and asked,

"Ouch what was that for?"

Arthur tried to contain his laughter and managed to compose himself as best as he could, before saying,

"For being suggestive. Now is not the time." He warned.

"Yeah we will discuss…." Fred piped up.

"The birds and bees with you…." George continued.

"When we get home." The twins said together.

Turning a deeper shade of red, Ron rubbed the back of his head through his messy hair, and mumbled,

"I know all about that."

Causing Harry to snigger by his side.

"Yeah sure you do mate." Harry murmured behind his hand, earning a frown and an elbow to the ribs from his embarrassed friend.

"Prat." Ron hissed out.

Marcus didn't want to waste any more time listening to the ramblings of inexperienced adolescent boys, so turning towards Aro, he placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Can you still feel her brother?" He asked, his expression and voice conveying the seriousness of the situation.

Aro turned blazing red eyes onto Marcus and nodded.

"Yes, I can still feel her. She is weak and frightened, and the fire is moving closer to her. We do not have much time brother until it reaches her completely." Now that the battle was over and everyone knew about him and Hermione, he was not afraid to show them how he truly felt about her anymore. The truth was, even he wasn't too convinced that Marcus's plan would work, and he didn't want to be the reason for Hermione, his mate and his future, dying. He couldn't bear the pain of that happening.

"Good. Then use the mating bond you share with her and find her. Only you can save Hermione, Aro."

Aro sighed and shook his head in the negative.

"I can't brother; I don't know how." He whispered. Never did Aro ever think he would find his true mate, but now that he had, he didn't know how the mating bond worked. He had heard about it of course, but he had never experienced it for himself, until now. It was both terrifying and exciting all at once, and he was afraid, for perhaps the first time in his life, of failing someone.

"Yes you do. Concentrate on Hermione, feel her. Then go to her. It's the only way." Marcus said, praying that his brother would listen.

Aro closed his eyes and focused on Hermione, he could feel her emotions coursing through his mind as if they were his own, but it wasn't enough.

"I can't." He said in frustration, opening his eyes to look at Marcus.

"You can and you must. Do you want to live all of eternity with Hermione gone? Is that what you want brother?" Marcus asked through gritted teeth.

"Of course it isn't." Aro replied.

"Then concentrate, feel her, sense her and locate her."

Just then Charlie stepped towards them, holding out his own hooded cloak to the vampire, whose hands held Hermione's future.

"Here take this, it will protect you against dragon fire. I think you need it more than I do right now. Please go and get our Mione." Charlie begged.

Aro looked at the cloak, then around at all the expectant faces, and suddenly determination set in. He had to save Hermione, he just had too.

Shrugging off his own cloak, he also took off his Volturi crest and handed them to Jane. Before putting on the wizard's cloak. He was ready for whatever was to come.

"Before you seek her out, answer me one question brother. Do you love her?" Marcus asked, a serious but warm expression on his pale face.

Even though he knew his brother had just asked him the question, another vision entered his mind of when he was asked that very same thing. In this vision he saw Hermione standing there in the dress she wore at the ball, looking beautiful and Goddesslike.

"Do you love me?" She had asked him. And at the time he could not answer her, for he didn't know how he felt. He had been attracted to her, he had wanted her, and he had known that they were destined to be with each other. But when she had asked him that, he honestly didn't know if he loved her or not?

Back then he could not give her the answer she sought so instead he had said that 'love is nothing in comparison' to what they shared.

How wrong he had been? As he saw Hermione in his mind's eye, he saw her beautiful face, and the way she smiled at him. He could see the way her sleek curls bounced whenever she moved and remembered how silky they felt at his touch. He could hear her soft voice and sweet laughter, echoing through his mind. He could feel her passion every time they kissed and could still feel the heat course through his body, from every touch they had ever shared. He remembered feeling fear and worry when she had left to go to Romania, and remembered how it felt when she had shared the vision of her death with him. Fear and pain unlike anything he had ever felt before.

Did he love her? The answer was now glaringly obvious to him. What they had was much more than just the mating bond. He didn't just want her body or her passion, he wanted it all with her, and for the first time in his whole existence he, Aro Volturi, wanted to give her it all back in return. He wanted to share everything with her as equals, and not as something less.

Looking at his brother, who was already smiling knowingly at him, Aro answered Marcus with a resounding,

"Yes."

With that one word, Marcus's smile turned into a grin as he said,

"Good. Now concentrate on her, feel her and then go and get our Hermione."

Once again Aro closed his eyes and concentrated on her, not just on her feelings but on her as a whole. Everything that made up Hermione, everything that he loved about her, he focused on. Until finally in his mind he saw her, lying there amongst the dead and ash, the fire growing ever closer, with a serene accepting smile on her face, that hid the fear and panic of her impending death.

"Hermione." He whispered, without opening his eyes.

She however, opened hers, and turned to look at him, as if he was standing right there before her.

"Aro." She replied in a small voice, before squeezing her eyes shut. "I'm sorry." She whispered, realizing that it was just her imagination playing a trick on her. She was alone, Aro wasn't there at all.

Unable to hide his curiosity, Severus walked silently over to Albus, watching the farce going on. When Aro whispered Hermione' name, Severus scoffed and went to speak, but was stopped suddenly by Dumbledore's hand gripping his arm. When he looked into his friend and mentors face, he saw that Albus wore a serious expression as he shook his head no, then pointed back towards the two vampires.

Aro opened his eyes then gasped at what he saw before him. Reaching out his hand he tried to touch the light that led a path towards the fire.

"It's beautiful." He whispered, his voice full of wonder and disbelief.

Marcus smiled warmly at him then asked,

"What do you see brother?"

Aro wasn't sure how to describe the beautiful sight before him, he wasn't sure how to do it justice, so all he said in reply was,

"I see a beautiful golden light. It's shimmering towards the fire."

Marcus let out a sigh of relief and grinned, knowing that his plan had worked. Aro and Hermione had a connection of the most powerful kind. Not only was it out of a mating bond, but it was also a bond made out of love.

"Then go, go and get her."

Without another word or thought, Aro wrapped the cloak around him tightly and ran, no longer afraid of what he had to do. His mate, his love was waiting for him. She needed him and he would not let her down. Not again.

As everyone turned to watch Aro leave, Dumbledore turned to look at Severus instead, seeing the young man's heart break all over again. The devastation in his eyes was clear for all to see. A rarity for the normally private man, the same man who had managed to hide his true loyalty from the Dark Lord for years.

"Are you alright my boy?" He asked quietly, not wanting to draw attention on the young man's private moment.

"My feelings were never enough were they?" Severus whispered. "If I had gone in there to save her, I would have gotten her killed. Wouldn't I Albus?" He asked, without looking at the old wizard beside him.

"I'm afraid so." Albus replied sadly, knowing where the conversation was heading.

" _Only the golden light can save her, before the dark one can reach her_." Severus said, quoting Trelawney's prophecy. "I am the dark one that was mentioned and the golden light is them." He stated.

With nothing left to say or do, Severus Snape apparated away, a broken man once more. But little did he know however, that hope for him had not completely died. Destiny still had a large part to play in his life. For Severus Snape, all was not lost.

* * *

Meanwhile Aro could feel the flames surrounding him and held the wizards cloak tighter around himself. Although the situation was dangerous for him, it was far more dangerous for Hermione, and it was her who he felt more concerned about at the moment. He knew that he had to find her and soon.

He could feel fear radiate throughout her and knew that time was running out. So as quickly as he could, he followed the golden light through the fire, despite the fact that the light from the flames made it harder to distinguish the light from their bond.

He concentrated on her and let the pull of the bond guide him, until eventually he came to a clearing in the middle of the circle of flames that looked vaguely familiar.

Looking around he saw bodies of the enemy and of those who were on the side of the Volturi, covered in dirt and ash. In death however, there were no sides, just those who were victims of War.

Out of respect for those who had fallen Aro stepped through the dead carefully, glancing around him until finally he saw it. The golden light from his and Hermione's bond shining bigger and brighter than he had seen it do so far, over a body cloaked in black and red. A body that he would recognize anywhere.

The fire, he noticed, was moving closer to her and soon it would be able to reach her feet and body, engulfing her completely, if he didn't move soon.

Quickly and cautiously Aro made his way towards her, just in time, as the hungry flames long fingers grabbed for her. He scooped her up into his arms and using his vampire speed moved to a safer distance, away from the scorching heat of the flames.

Holding her small body against him tightly, relief washed through him, at having her safely in his arms. Although they were not out of danger yet, he was just happy to be able to see and feel her once more, after thinking he had lost her for good.

Pushing the hood of her cloak down, he gazed adoringly at her dirty face, and brushed a stray curl back behind her ear.

Slowly her eyes flickered open and tilting her head up towards him, a small tired smile graced her perfect lips.

"I knew…you would…come for…me." She said, in an exhausted hoarse voice, as the remainder of her energy began to fade away to nothing.

Aro couldn't resist the pull and bent his head to lay a gentle, loving kiss upon her soft pink lips.

"Ssh do not speak mio caro. Of course I came for you." He looked all around him and smiled faintly, before turning his gaze back down to her. "Vorrei camminare attraverso i nove cerchi dell'inferno per voi."

Hermione smiled faintly and raised her hand to gently caress Aro's cheek as she said only one word to him and that was, "Dante." This simple action used up her last piece of energy, as Hermione's hand fell limply from Aro's face, and her eyes closed as unconsciousness took her fully.

"Hermione, please don't go where I cannot follow you." Aro murmured into her hair, as he kissed her soft curls, and inhaled the scent that was purely her.

He lay his head gently against her chest and once again felt a sense of relief, as he heard the faint sound of her peculiar heartbeat. Aro knew that apart from taking her away from the danger that the fire posed, there was nothing else he could do for her now.

She was obviously weakened and drained from the sheer force of power she had just used, and neither he nor the other vampires who cared for her knew what to do for someone as unique as she was. So there was only thing for it, he would have to hand her over to the wizards instead.

Looking down at the face of the woman he loved, Aro kissed her lips again, and held her body tightly to his once more, savoring the way she felt in his arms.

"I love you mio caro, never forget that."

Pulling the hood of her cloak up once more, to protect her face and hair, he lifted her up higher in his arms, and gazed around him. The fire looked more ferocious and out of control than before, as it began to burn the bodies of the broken and the dead. They could not be saved or fixed now.

With one last glance down at Hermione, Aro wrapped her securely in the cloak he wore, then took off in a run, battling against the flames, as he made his way out of the circle of fire.

Time seemed to come to a standstill as he faced the flames head on, grateful that he had the wizard's fireproof cloak on to protect them both. Shielding his face with his free arm, he saw Marcus and Caius waiting for him in the distance, as he pushed ahead, until finally he had reached the end of the wall of flames.

Falling to the ground, still holding Hermione tightly against him, he gave out a sigh of relief, as he checked her over once more.

"You done it brother. I knew you could." Marcus said proudly, coming to help Aro to his feet.

He too looked down at Hermione, just as all her friends came rushing towards her.

Aro backed away from the group, as they all crowded around her still form, knowing that she needed them more than she did him.

"What's wrong with her?" Harry asked, pushing his glasses up his face as he turned to look at Charlie and Remus.

"Hermione is magically drained, she is no longer conscious and may not survive, if we don't do something to help soon." Charlie said, turning a concerned glance to the rest of the group.

"What can we do? I thought she is immortal?" Remus asked looking confused.

"She is, but remember she is also magical as well. If her heart gives out, we don't know what will happen to her. There has never been anyone like Hermione before."

Remus growled and ran his hand through his hair in sheer frustration.

"Then what _can_ we do then? There must be something."

Charlie looked around him, then smiled more to himself than anyone else, as an idea came to mind.

"Actually there is something. I don't know how a vampire will react to it, but I know it could help someone magical." Charlie turned his attention to Dumbledore then nodded to what he was talking about. "What do you think Headmaster?"

Dumbledore ran his fingers thoughtfully through his beard, in quiet contemplation as he thought about what Charlie was talking about.

"It could work, but I don't think here is the best place to try it."

Charlie nodded his head in agreement, before standing up with Hermione in his arms.

"I agree. Phil and I will take Hermione and Nafeesa back to the Dragon Sanctuary, we will get everything organized there. You can all apparate back." Charlie said looking towards the wizards in the group. "While Felix and Demetri can guide you all back." He said turning to the group of vampires.

Before either Felix or Demetri could say anything, Aro quickly cut in.

"That is not necessary, we must get back to Volterra and see what damage has been done."

Marcus stepped towards Aro, his gaze never wavering from his face, as he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"But Aro what about Hermione. You can't just leave her, not after…"

"Enough brother." Aro said with conviction. "I know what must be done and I will not discuss it here with you now." With one last longing look towards Hermione, Aro turned and began to walk away. "Come along, all of you now. Our War is over."

The Cullen's, Marcus, Caius, Demetri and Felix, all looked at Hermione and hesitated before leaving. None of them wanted to leave her like that, but Aro had spoken.

"Please look after her and let us know what happens." Marcus begged, glancing down at his adopted daughter one last time.

"Of course we will let you know." Dumbledore said sadly, as he saw the group nod in acceptance, before disappearing into the distance, using their vampire speed.

Remus came to stand next to Dumbledore, confusion written all over his face.

"Why would he leave like that? Why not stay?"

Dumbledore sighed and looked at his friend.

"It's simple really, Aro does not know how to proceed from here and feels like he is putting her needs before his own. Did you not do the same thing with Dora?" Dumbledore asked with a hint of amusement, at the annoyed expression crossing his friends face.

"That was different. I saw sense." Remus said in defense of his previous actions towards his wife.

"Yes, and in time so too will he. Now let's go."

The two wizards turned and apparated away with the others, while Charlie cradled Hermione in his lap as his dragon took off. Both he and Phil levitated an injured Nafeesa between them, before he disillusioned them all.

As they flew into the air, Charlie glanced down below and took in the sight of the destruction the battle had caused and the large circle of fire. All the evidence would be destroyed by the raging fire, so hopefully no muggles would know of the real event that had just taken place.

It didn't take them long to reach the Dragon Sanctuary, and instead of going straight to Nafeesa's enclosure, they instead headed towards the quiet enclosure where injured dragons went to recover. Only Dumbledore, Remus and Severus, who had just been told what was about to happen, were there waiting for them. The rest of the group were being looked after elsewhere in order to give Hermione some privacy.

Landing, the two wizards levitated Nafeesa to safety, before Phil transfigured a bed for Charlie to lay Hermione on.

He checked her over once again, then turned to Dumbledore.

"Are we still in agreement about how to proceed?" He asked.

It was not Dumbledore who spoke but instead Severus, the reviled Potions Master.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous this could be, if it fails to work? It has never been done on someone like Her- Miss Granger before." Severus said, in an eerily calm voice.

"Which is why I think it will work Professor? Hermione may be a vampire, but she is still half witch. The blood will bind to her magic and should therefore heal her, restoring her strength and power. If it works she will never be drained like this again." Charlie said.

"And what about the reaction she may have to it, because she is also half vampire?" Severus asked.

Charlie sighed and said,

"I can't guarantee it won't cause her some pain, but in the long run I think it could work." He stated.

Severus scowled at the young wizard and sneered,

"I think and I could does not endear me to your little experiment Weasley."

Dumbledore stepped in between the two arguing wizards and frowned.

"Please Severus let us just try."

Severus crossed his arms over his chest and simply said,

"Fine." Before taking a step backwards so that he could watch what was going to happen.

Charlie walked over to Nafeesa, with a small glass vial in his hand. Kneeling down in front of her, he stroked her head carefully then said,

"Nafeesa may I take a vial of your blood. It's to help Hermione."

Although she was gravely injured, Nafeesa heard everything that the young wizard said, and turned her tired face towards him. Licking his face, she gave him her blessing knowing already, exactly what would happen. She held out an injured leg to him that had a deep gouge where flesh had been torn from her body, and watched as he took a vial of her blood.

"Thank you Nafeesa, I promise that we'll save her and heal you." With one last lick across his face, Nafeesa's head fell onto the ground, as Charlie turned back to Hermione.

Holding the glass vial of dragon's blood, Charlie waited and watched as Phil carefully lifted up Hermione's head and gently opened her mouth.

"We all know that dragon's blood has healing properties in it, and I daresay no-one knows that better than Albus Dumbledore who first made that discovery. So I'm hoping that it will bind itself to Hermione's magic and make her heal quickly and fully." Slowly Charlie emptied the vial of blood into Hermione's mouth, as Phil gently massaged her throat, allowing the liquid to run down.

Stepping back, they watched as Hermione's body began to slowly convulse, before eventually a loud scream was torn from her mouth. The scream lasted minutes, before her body gave one last violent convulsion, until eventually there was no movement or sound coming from her at all.

"What happens now?" Dumbledore asked with some concern.

"Now we wait and see." Charlie said, casting a cleansing charm on her before transfiguring Hermione's torn dirty clothes into a white nightie. Carefully he took the circlet from her head and brushed her hair free from all the tugs and tangles.

Once he was done they could do nothing more but hope and pray to Merlin that he was right.

* * *

Hermione lay relaxing on the beautiful river embankment, with her arms resting underneath her head like a pillow. Her feet were bare, as she curled her toes into the silky grass and wiggled them, enjoying the tickling sensation against her skin. The day was perfect and calm as she enjoyed nothing more than feeling the rays of the midday sun, warm and soothing against her skin.

She sighed contently feeling more relaxed and at ease than she had done in such a long time, but somewhere at the back of her mind she couldn't help feel that she was forgetting something, something that was important to her. Something that seemed to cause her heart to speed up whenever she focused on what she could possibly be forgetting.

Sighing again she slowly opened her eyes, ignoring the feeling of forgetting something, and gazed up into the brilliant blue sky. She smiled warmly as a bird flew above her, singing with happiness as it landed on the branch of a tall oak tree.

Sitting up she looked around, seeing only the sparkling water of the river, the vibrant greens of the grass and trees that surrounded her and the brilliant clear blue sky above her. Everything was perfect.

Smiling she picked up a vibrant white flower and twirled it in-between her fingers, feeling the urge to play he loves me, he loves me not with it. Instead she held it up to her nose and inhaled its beautiful sweet scent.

Turning her gaze back to the shimmering water, she wondered how it would feel if she were to dip her feet in. But before she had the chance to ponder this thought further, a small quiet voice gently whispered her name.

Turning her head, she looked all around her but could see nothing, except the perfect tranquil sight of being surrounded by nature at its best.

Shrugging her shoulders and ignoring the voice thinking it was just her imagination, Hermione reached her hand out to touch a beautiful painted lady butterfly, as it flew about her before finally landing on her outstretched hand.

"Aren't you a beautiful creature?" She whispered softly so as not to scare it away.

"Hermione." At the sound of her name being called again, the butterfly quickly took off, as Hermione stood to her feet looking around wondering where the sound was coming from.

"Hello is someone there?" She called out, but got no reply in return.

Frowning, Hermione wandered over to the river's edge, so that she could get a better look around. And listened carefully for the sound again.

When her gaze drifted over to the other side of the river, her breath caught in her throat as she saw a blazing fire destroy the trees and grass all around it, merciless in its destruction. But the worst sight of all was seeing the small girl who looked eerily like her, standing covered in flames amongst the trees, her once curly hair burning and turning to ash.

Hermione covered her mouth to stifle her scream, as the smell of burning flesh hit her senses.

"Hermione, you said you would never leave me. You said you would always look after me. But you lied." The little girl cried out, as the flames travelled down her body, so that only her face could be seen.

Sobbing Hermione said,

"Who are you? What can I do?"

"Please Hermione, help me. Wake up." The little girl cried, as the flames engulfed her small body. "You need to wake up." Were her last words, as she fell to the ground and vanished.

Hermione let out a cry of pain as she clutched at her head. The girl's voice, her looks, were so familiar to her but where had she seen her before? What did she mean when she said wake up?

"Help me." The fading voice whispered again. "Remember, Hermione."

Dropping to her knees Hermione let out a cry of frustration, and dug her nails into the soil. Looking up into the sky, she noticed how it had turned dark grey and feeling something drop onto her face, she touched the place with her fingertips. Pulling her hand away to look and expecting water from rain, the tip of one of her fingers was black and covered in ash.

Glancing around the perfect scenery had gone, and in its place was a sight suited to nightmares instead. Trees were burning fast, as the fire spread all around her, the grass was blackened, covered in ash, while smoke filled the air and the beautiful sparkling river had dried up.

"What's happening?" Hermione cried out, feeling fear as she gazed frantically around for help.

"Wake up Hermione?" A sweet gentle voice said from behind.

When Hermione turned, she screamed at the sight that greeted her and ran. Not knowing where she was running too. But the further she ran the thicker the smoke and flames became until finally she was trapped.

"What's happening?" She screamed again, as the fire began to crawl up her feet and dress.

Pain burned and enflamed her whole body, and a scream erupted from her mouth as Hermione fell to her knees sobbing, just like the little girl had, the little girl who she remembered was called Morvin.

"Morvin." Hermione cried out. "I remember." Just like that, her whole body erupted into flames, but the more she cried out the more the pain began to fade away, until eventually everything just seemed to stop.

There was no more pain. There was no more fire. There was no more sounds. There was just nothing.

Looking up Hermione saw the little girl, this time she wore a bright yellow dress and a matching yellow ribbon in her curly hair.

The little girl held out a hand to Hermione and hesitantly she went to take it, but before she could however, Morvin smiled and said,

"It's time to wake up now."

The moment Hermione's hand touched Morvin's, she seemed to fall through the sky and landed flat on her back with a jolt.

Regaining consciousness, Hermione knew she was lying on a bed and that what she had just experienced was a dream, or rather a nightmare. The one thought running through her mind, the only thing she cared about at that moment was finding Morvin, her daughter. So with that Hermione opened her eyes to face the real world once more.

 **English to Italian translation**

 **I would walk through the nine circles of hell for you- Vorrei camminare attraverso i nove cerchi dell'inferno per voi.**


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter Thirty-Five**

The moment Hermione's eyes opened, she lay in bed and simply looked around her, noticing the familiar setting of the bedroom she and Morvin had shared during their stay at the Dragon Sanctuary. Relief and joy overcame her at that realization. She was safe. She had made it out of the battle alive.

Covering her face with her hands, she tried to hold her emotions at bay, and thought back to the battle and what she could remember. The last thing she saw before the darkness overtook her was casting a powerful spell that destroyed the enemy army once and for all. She remembered falling to her knees as every piece of energy was drained from her body. She could remember the dead lying on the ground around her as fire burned dangerously close by, and could remember feeling terrified as she waited for death to approach. She remembered that her last thought was of Morvin and how she wished she had gotten the chance to say goodbye to her properly, and to tell her just how much she loved her.

The last thing Hermione remembered however, was a sense of peace and acceptance and for some reason she could recall saying the word Dante, but other than that there was nothing else, it was all just a blur. She couldn't recall how she was saved from the fire and she couldn't remember how she got back to the safety of the Dragon Sanctuary, all she knew was that she had never felt so thankful to be alive in all her life. This wasn't just her second chance at life, this was her third and she was determined to live the rest of eternity to the fullest with her daughter by her side.

Pushing the covers from her body, Hermione sat up and eased herself out of bed. Standing, she expected to feel dizzy or wobbly on her feet, but instead she felt great. Better, in fact, than she had done in a long time.

She slowly made her way towards the tall standalone mirror and gazed at the reflection looking back. Although she looked like herself and felt like herself, there was something different that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Not wanting to dwell on this feeling for too long, Hermione sighed before walking into the adjoining shower, glad to feel the water spraying across her body. She had forgotten just how good it felt to stand underneath a shower and get clean.

Taking her time to wash her hair and body, she turned the water off then waved her hand across herself to dry. Getting dressed quickly, she walked out of her bedroom in search of her friends.

Even now she still couldn't believe that her friends from the wizarding world had put themselves in danger just to help her and the Volturi army. They could have been seriously hurt or worse ended up dead, all for a fight that wasn't there's. She would have words with them, when she saw them, for their foolish behavior, but knew that she couldn't stay mad at them for too long. How could she when she knew that she would have done exactly the same thing if she had been in their position.

Hermione needed to find out everything that happened, but first she had to make sure that Morvin and Nafeesa were safe. She wasn't sure if Charlie had kept his promise when it came to sending Morvin and Athenodora away. And she didn't know how bad Nafeesa's injuries were and if she survived or not. But these were the things that she desperately needed to find out.

Hermione headed into the main living area to find Harry, Ron, Remus, Mr Weasley, Dumbledore and Severus sitting deep in conversation with Charlie and Phil.

Sensing her presence almost at once, Remus was the first to look up and upon seeing her rose to his feet, a wide grin on his face.

"Hermione." He said coming towards her and enveloping her in a tight hug. "I've never been so glad to smell you again bloodsucker." He said mockingly, earning a punched arm from Hermione.

"Nice to see you too, I wish I could say the same about the wet dog smell however." She replied teasingly, with a large smile on her face and eyes that were shining brightly with happiness.

Since she had left Hogwarts to move to Volterra, she had missed her friends from the wizarding world terribly, so was enjoying the feeling of familiarity that she shared with them. Especially with Remus who she considered her best friend.

"It's nice to have you back with us." Remus said giving her one last squeeze.

"It's nice to be back, but how long was I out for this time?" She asked curiously.

Instead of Remus answering, Charlie began to speak.

"About a week. The full force of the power you used drained you completely, physically as well as magically. You almost didn't survive but we experimented a little on you and luckily it worked." His face turned almost as red as his hair as he spoke. "I hope you don't mind?" He added in quickly.

Hermione frowned at his words, wondering just what he did to her exactly. But the fact was, whatever it was couldn't have been that bad for she was still here with them, so obviously whatever it was had worked.

"What kind of experiment?" She asked taking a seat next to Remus and Dumbledore, who gently took her hand in his and squeezed it.

Hermione gave him a warm smile and a kiss on the cheek in return, before returning her full attention back onto Charlie.

"Well you know how dragon's blood has healing properties in it, and can help to restore magical folk quicker." Without giving her the chance to answer, Charlie quickly carried on with his explanation. "Well we thought that maybe it could help heal you as well, since you're still half witch. So Nafeesa gave us a vial of her blood."

Hermione groaned and ran her fingers through her hair.

"You took blood from Nafeesa, did you at least ask her first?"

Charlie blushed a deeper shade of red then answered,

"Of course I did; I didn't think she would appreciate me just taking it from her."

'Good." Hermione replied knowing how important it was to show Nafeesa respect.

"Anyway after I got the blood, we gave it to you and it worked. You screamed a bit and convulsed, but I think that was the blood reacting to the vampire in you."

Hermione frowned then said,

"Please don't tell me that I'm now one third witch, one third vampire and one third dragon. That's a bit much, even for me." She said jokingly causing the others too laugh and snigger.

"Nope still only half witch half vampire I'm afraid." Dumbledore cut in, the twinkle in his eyes shining brightly.

"How is Nafeesa, I remember her being injured?" Hermione suddenly asked.

Charlie sighed then said,

"She's doing good and recovering well. The vampires were brutal in her attack, they ripped out some of her flesh, and bit into her leg and wing so she can't fly or hunt for a while. She's not taking that news too great, and is almost as stubborn as her rider." Charlie said with a small smile.

Hermione grinned then said,

"That's my girl. Can I go and see her? I won't settle until I have."

Charlie nodded his head then said,

"Yes but remember she is weak. Seeing you might overexcite her a bit. She's been pining for you."

Remus who was listening to the conversation with a small amount of fascination laughed then said,

"While we're on the subject, when were you going to tell us that you were a dragon rider and not to just any dragon but the alpha?"

Hermione smiled sheepishly before casting her gaze across the faces of her friends, all the while trying to avoid the gaze of one particular wizard. She wasn't sure if she was ready to face him yet, but knew that a confrontation with him was unavoidable.

"I didn't know she was the alpha until that day, honestly. But when I first came here and I met Nafeesa, we had this strange but wonderful connection. She's my friend, she's my familiar, and she's such an intelligent loyal companion." Hermione said with a faint smile.

"Erm we are talking about the same dragon who tried to set my broom on fire in fourth year, aren't we?" Harry asked. "You know the same dragon who chased me onto a tower at Hogwarts and tried to kill me. That dragon."

Although she couldn't see his face, Hermione could feel Severus roll his eyes at Harry, and could actually feel the disdain he felt for her once best friend. Trying not to laugh Hermione smiled and said,

"Yes Harry that same dragon, but to be fair she was pulled away from her home and thrust into a stadium full of children. And you were trying to steal her egg. I bet if you had just showed her some respect she would have let you have it."

"Yeah right, as if I was just going to stand there and let her cook me." Harry replied looking aghast.

Hermione shook her head slowly and smiled.

"Honestly Harry she's not that bad, she's like a pussy cat really."

Ron who was sitting there watching his two friends conversing just like old times, suddenly piped up with,

"Bloody hell Mione, I remember what your ginger cat was like, bloody terrifying it was if you ask me. If your dragons like that mangy thing, then Merlin save us all."

Hermione frowned and crossed her arms as she stared down at Ron.

"Ronald Weasley have you forgotten already that it was Crookshanks who just so happened to alert us to Wormtail. Who by the way was _your_ pet rat Scabbers?" Hermione huffed.

"Yeah well." Ron murmured in return, knowing but not wanting to admit, that Hermione had a point. Since the whole incident with Scabbers, or rather Wormtail, Ron hadn't trusted another rodent again.

"Honestly Ron." Hermione said rolling her eyes at him. "I'm going to go and check on Nafeesa, Charlie and Albus would you mind joining me."

"Of course I would love too." Dumbledore said, holding out his arm for Hermione to take. "We shan't be long." He said looking pointedly towards Severus and Remus, who were moving with the intentions of joining them.

Having just been dismissed by the older wizard, both Remus and Severus sat back down, a curious look marring the face of the former, while the latter wore his customary scowl. They both wondered what else Hermione could be hiding, since she was being so secretive and obviously didn't want anyone else to know.

As they headed out of the main building towards the recovery enclosure, the moment they were out of earshot, Hermione quickly turned to Charlie with a worried expression on her face and began to bombard him with questions.

"What happened with Morvin? Did you tell Athenodora to use the portkey? Did they get away safely? Where is she now?"

"Wow." Charlie said, resting his hand reassuringly on Hermione's tense shoulder. "Calm down honestly everything is fine. Morvin is fine. They used the portkey and got away from the battle before anything happened. As far as I know they are back in Volterra."

Hermione stopped walking and frowned.

"At Volterra, but I thought…" She trailed off and looked at Dumbledore in confusion. He took her hand in his and smiled softly down at her.

"They took the portkey to the Chateau just as you had planned, but then Demetri went and found them. He took them back to Volterra on Caius's orders."

Hermione didn't want to think about the fact that she would need to go back to the Palazzo and face Aro. Truthfully she wasn't sure what to do when she saw him. He had blackmailed her into staying at the Palazzo once the battle was over, and although she had agreed to it at the time, she really had no intentions of staying there any longer. She wanted to go back there and just take Morvin away, like she had originally planned.

But how could she leave without saying goodbye to those she cared for, her father Marcus, Felix and Demetri, she couldn't go back to Volterra and sneak away like a thief in the night, she would need to say goodbye to them. Even if it meant coming face to face with Aro.

"I have to go back there soon. Morvin will be so worried." Hermione said on a sigh, feeling guilty that she had caused Morvin more pain and anguish than she needed.

"How soon?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes betraying his own sadness. He too looked at Hermione as a daughter, and she had provided him with the family he thought he would never have.

"Tonight Albus, I have to get Morvin soon, I can't leave her there alone. I don't plan on staying there though. I need to leave Volterra, I need to spend some time with just me and Morvin. And of course you lot." She smiled. "Ever since Morvin came into my care all she's seen is fighting and battles. She needs a life away from all of that. I need a life away from all of that." Hermione said with such honesty.

Dumbledore brushed his hand gently down her cheek and smiled.

"No-one can blame you for wanting that Hermione, you have been through more in the last few years than most have done in their entire lives. It's only fair that you should want some normalcy. And of course you will still have all of us for support. Remember though, Hogwarts is still your home if you need it."

Once again, for the second time that day, Hermione had to hold her emotions back. Hugging Dumbledore close to her, she held back the tears that threatened to escape and squeezed her eyes shut, savoring the moment.

"Thank you Albus for everything. I really don't know what I would have done without you. You are a part of my family and I love you so much." She smiled weakly and looked at Charlie. "You as well."

"Believe me my girl, the feeling is mutual." Dumbledore said, feeling tears well up in his own eyes. "However I feel as though there is a 'but' coming." He said with a knowing smile.

"I guess you know me better than I thought." Hermione said pulling out of his arms. "But I can't take your offer of staying at Hogwarts up just yet. The truth is there is too much pent up emotions there and at Volterra just now. I need to just get away and think, and to just be me. I need to concentrate on Morvin for now, and give us time to be a proper family. That doesn't mean we won't see you though, we will. I also don't want the others to know about Morvin just yet, for now I want it to be just us. Please understand." She pleaded with him.

Dumbledore gave her a reassuring smile and nodded his head in sympathy.

"Of course I understand, but remember Hogwarts will always be your home should you need it?"

"Thank you." She smiled, the relief clearly showing in her eyes.

"And so will the Dragon Sanctuary." Charlie chipped in, cutting the tension and the emotion in the air with his impeccable timing.

Hermione laughed and gave Charlie a hug.

"I know it is, and believe me you will regret saying that. We can't leave Nafeesa on her own for too long. We'll miss her too much."

"Speaking of Nafeesa shall we go and see her."

"Yes let's." Hermione said, the smile quickly fading from her face. Although she knew Nafeesa was fine, or rather would be, she still couldn't help but feel concerned. After all it was her fault Nafeesa had been injured in the first place, she had only been protecting her rider, her friend.

"Hermione, Nafeesa's fine trust me." Charlie said with a comforting pat on her shoulder, when he saw the worry etched on her face.

"I know but still, I can't help but feel like her being hurt is all my fault."

"She is the alpha and you are her rider, she would have done anything to help you, you know that." Charlie said.

Hermione gave him a weak smile and nodded her head, knowing that what he was saying was the truth. But still it would take a lot more than that to ease her guilt.

"Speaking of saving me, was it the power of the circlet that saved me from the fire. All I remember is being trapped I can't remember anything else after that?" Hermione said, suddenly remembering the question she wanted to ask Charlie.

The two wizards looked at each other for a moment, wearing matching looks of confusion, until Dumbledore asked,

"You remember nothing at all about how you were saved?"

Hermione shook her head in the negative.

"No only darkness. The last thing I remember is lying there thinking I was about to die, then I woke up after having a strange dream about Morvin and that's it."

"Curious." Dumbledore replied, running his fingers through his beard as he became lost in thought.

"The circlet didn't save you Hermione, it couldn't." Charlie said, blushing slightly as he gazed from Hermione to Dumbledore not knowing just how much he should tell her.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked with a frown.

Charlie sighed and looked away from Hermione for a moment before saying,

"It wouldn't have worked because Nafeesa was injured as well. The main purpose of the circlet is to bring you to your dragon when you're in need of help. Despite the fact that you were in danger and needing help, so too was Nafeesa. The power of the circlet would have sensed that; therefore it wouldn't have brought you to a new place knowing it wasn't safe."

As Hermione thought over his words, they made sense to her in a way. But if the circlet didn't save her then that only left one question.

"Who saved me then?" She asked looking from Charlie's embarrassed expression to Dumbledore's thoughtful one. They were keeping something back from her and she was determined to find out just what that something was.

"It was erm…" Charlie began before turning to Dumbledore for help.

He in return smiled and lay his hand on Hermione's shoulder.

"My dear girl we could begin that story, but unfortunately we do not have the time. Besides I don't think we are the ones who should be discussing it with you."

"What do you mean by that?" She asked looking puzzled by his words.

Dumbledore sighed, knowing just how inquisitive Hermione could be at times, she was stubborn and wasn't the type of person who just let things drop.

"What I mean is we are wizards; the person you should really ask is Marcus. He will be able to explain things to you better than what we can." Before Hermione could say anything, Dumbledore patted her lightly on the shoulder. "Now go and see to Nafeesa, I will go back to the main building and see to the others."

With that Dumbledore turned away and headed back to where the others were waiting. He had to warn them not to say anything about the events that had just transpired. Hermione should hear the story from those who understood what had happened, rather than those who could only guess.

Hermione frowned as she watched Dumbledore leave, wondering again what it was that he and Charlie could possibly be hiding from her. It didn't make sense for him to be keeping things from her, not that he hadn't done that in the past. But things had changed since then though, or so she thought. She decided then that if he wouldn't tell her, then she would ask the others instead, perhaps they would know since they had all been present at the battle as well. For now however, she would forget about that and concentrate on Nafeesa.

Following Charlie into the recovery enclosure, she spotted Nafeesa straight away and gasped at the sight of her friend. She was lying flat on her stomach, her leg wrapped securely in a cast, while one wing was stretched out, a large hole visible in the middle. There were various other bandages covering her wounds, but those two injuries looked by far the worst.

She looked bored and restless but couldn't move because of the position she was in, but the moment Nafeesa saw Hermione standing there however, she became even more restless and tried to make her way towards her without success.

Breaking through the shock she felt at seeing Nafeesa, who was normally so strong and powerful, look so weak and vulnerable. Hermione made her way towards her familiar and smiled when she felt Nafeesa's long tongue lazily stroke her face. She took Nafeesa's large face in her hands, and nuzzled her cheek into her scaly skin lovingly.

"I'm so, so sorry Nafeesa this is all my fault. You should never have been at the battle in the first place." She whispered, as the tears began to form in her eyes. In response to her statement Nafeesa made a soft mewling noise, before nudging Hermione with her long snout. Hermione smiled sadly then stroked Nafeesa gently. "I know you don't blame me, but I do. You saved my life repeatedly. I don't know how I can possibly repay you for that, but I promise you I will."

At her words Nafeesa gave her a long slow lick, before laying her head back down. She was tired and sore, but felt so much happier at seeing her non-human. She had known that Hermione would be fine, for she had seen it, but she was just glad to see her with her own eyes. Nafeesa also knew that at some point in the future Hermione would hold that promise to her, but neither of them had to worry about that just yet. For now, the two friends simply sat, cuddling each other, basking in the others presence.

Finally, once Nafeesa was settled and snoring by Hermione's side, she turned to Charlie who had sat near them, simply watching without invading their space.

"How long is she going to be like this for?" She asked, stroking Nafeesa's head gently.

Charlie sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, glancing between the dragon and his friend.

"Honestly I can't give you a specific time. The wound on her wing, although it isn't the worst of them, will take the longest to repair. Magic can only do so much; she has to do the rest of the healing herself. My guess is…." He puffed out a breath of air before saying, "Maybe a month or two."

Hermione's eyes widened as she nuzzled her cheek against Nafeesa, feeling the guilt once again eat away at her.

"Really that long." Hermione whispered.

"I'm afraid so." Charlie said, knowing exactly how Hermione felt. It wasn't that long ago he thought he had lost Norberta when they were out bringing in some new dragons, and one attacked her. When she had been hurt he had felt like it was the end of the world for him. But she had recovered eventually. "After a couple of weeks, we will put a large split on her wing, to hold it up, which means she can move about slowly. But she won't be able to fly or hunt, which I think she's really going to hate."

Hermione snorted at his words and chuckled lightly.

"I think that's an understatement." She laughed, knowing just how stubborn and independent Nafeesa could be. Turning to look at her familiar she stroked her head again lovingly, and watched her gently stir. "Nafeesa I need you to know that I'm sorry and that I love you. But I can't stay here with you just now. I need to go back and get Morvin. I'm going to take her away from Volterra and away from Hogwarts for a little while, just me and her on a holiday sort of thing. But I promise you, we will be back. Charlie…" She said turning to her friend. "Will keep me up-to-date with your progress, and the moment you are better Morvin and I will come back, this time to stay with you." She nuzzled her cheek against Nafeesa again but this time when she stirred, she lifted her head up and bared her teeth in a growl.

Following her gaze, Hermione looked up to see Remus standing there, his arms folded across his chest, while looking relaxed at the same time.

"Remus what are you doing here?" Hermione asked standing to her feet. She turned her attention back to Nafeesa, knowing that she wasn't happy about the intrusion. "Nafeesa it's alright, Remus is a friend, he won't hurt me." With her words Nafeesa growled one last time at the intruder before laying her head down again, too tired to do anything else. "I love you girl." Hermione whispered, before stalking off beside Remus and pulling him away from her recovering friend.

"Remus I love you and you are my best friend, but why the hell did you come out here for. You're lucky Nafeesa is in no position to attack because she would have gone for you."

Remus could quite believe that and felt guilty for interrupting their moment, but he had more things to think about now.

"Hermione I think you have some explaining to do?" He said quietly, linking their arms so that she couldn't run off.

Hermione looked at him with a mixture of concern and confusion, wondering just what it was that he was referring to.

"I don't know what you mean Remus." She replied, not wanting to look him in the eyes for fear of what she might see there.

Remus sighed next to her but still they continued walking slowly back to the main building of the Dragon Sanctuary.

"Hermione I heard you telling Charlie that you were leaving to go back to Volterra. When are you planning on doing this?" He asked.

Hermione suddenly felt concerned by what Remus may have heard, but didn't want to draw any attention to it. Instead she simply squeezed his arm and said,

"I have to go back tonight. I can't leave it any longer. In fact, when we get back to the sanctuary I plan on packing my things before saying goodbye to everyone." She said, her mind already made up. Now that she had seen Nafeesa and the others, she would head back to the Palazzo as quickly as she could. She needed to get Morvin, she needed to see that her daughter was alright. Nothing else mattered to Hermione now except for that.

"So soon." Remus whispered sadly, he had only just gotten his friend back and now he had to say goodbye to her again. "When are you coming back to Hogwarts? I would really like for you to meet my son, your Godson." He asked, turning his weary gaze onto her.

Hermione gave him a sad smile in return.

"I really want to come and visit you all, but just now I need some time away. Please understand that Remus."

He wanted to understand, but before he could he had one more question to ask her.

"I do understand, but is you not returning to Hogwarts got something to do with this Morvin, if so who is she?"

This time when Remus spoke, Hermione stood in shock, as her previous concerns had just been confirmed.

"How much did you hear?" She accused.

"Enough." He said truthfully. "Hermione you and I are dear friends, I would even say that we are best friends. So whatever it is that you're keeping a secret, whoever this Morvin person is, you can tell me. You know that."

Hermione looked deep into her friend's eyes and could see the truth shining in them. She knew that she could trust Remus with anything, including her life, but this was different. This time it wasn't her life she was concerned about.

"I need you to promise me that you will not tell anyone what I'm about to say."

"Hermione…" He said, feeling a little exasperated.

"Promise me Remus." She said sounding almost desperate.

"I promise not to say anything Hermione. I'll even give you my word."

Satisfied with his answer, Hermione let go of him and began to walk away slowly, making sure that no-one else was around, before turning back to look at him.

"The first time I came here to the Dragon Sanctuary, a group of Romanian vampires were killing and turning a whole village of innocent people. Those who were of no use were killed instantly, and those who were good enough were turned and forced to join the Romanian army. It was horrible Remus." She said, remembering the sight that had greeted them when they had first arrived at the small village. "Anyway while I was there I found a small girl. She was dirty, wearing rags and chained up like an animal. The leader of the group of soldiers had turned her because she was young and innocent. I don't think I need to tell you what he used her for." She said through gritted teeth, the anger suddenly pulsating through her at the memory.

"I don't think I really want to know." Remus answered, his voice full of disgust. He had known the things that Fenrir Greyback had done to innocent young women in the past, so he didn't need an imagination to guess what the vampire had done.

"He got his comeuppance, believe me." She said with a small amount of satisfaction. "Anyway the little girl's name is Morvin." Hermione's voice turned soft at the mention of her, as her eyes shone with warmth and love. "Remus, Morvin is my daughter. From that first day I knew I couldn't abandon her, so I brought her back here with me. She was so broken and scared after being so badly abused, and grew aggressive and fearful every time she came near a man or woman, who wasn't me. I didn't know how to help her so I sent a letter to Albus."

Realization hit Remus then as he remembered reading the letter she had written to him, asking for help.

"I remember that letter, you sounded so worried and we thought it was because something had happened to you. But really it was because of…"

"Morvin, yes." Hermione replied. "I didn't know what else to do, so I asked Albus to perform an obliviate on her, but because of her age it wouldn't work. So instead he cast a memory charm on her. She still has moments when she panics for no reason, or feels like she's forgetting something, but honestly she's so much better now than she was. That's why I've got to leave here Remus. I need to get my daughter back."

Remus smiled at her and gently placed his hands around her upper arm.

"Then let me help you Hermione."

She smiled at the sincerity in his voice, but slowly shook her head.

"You can't Remus. I intend to get Morvin from Volterra and leave there. I want to travel with her, take her away from all the fighting and the animosity and just spend time with her. We both need it. We need a chance to bond and to just be us. That's why I didn't want anyone to know about her."

"I understand Hermione I really do. But promise me that you will come and visit us. Please don't be a stranger."

Hermione hugged him and smiled,

"Of course I won't be Remus. We've already spent enough time apart."

"Good." Remus said with a grin. "Now I believe you have some packing to do. Would you like a hand with it?" He asked.

"No." Hermione replied with a slight shake of her head. "I'll be fine."

"Alright, but if you need me I'll just be in the other room."

"Thanks Remus."

"Will you let an old man walk you back to your room then?" He asked with a small smile.

Hermione's eyes twinkled mischievously as she said,

"Hmm is the old man able to walk such a distance?"

Remus nudged her arm playfully as they both began to laugh.

"The cheek of you young ones nowadays. Let's go." He said, linking their arms once again, as they headed back towards the main building. They chatted the whole way there as Remus, the proud doting father, told Hermione all about his boy Teddy. And in return Hermione told Remus all about Morvin, leaving out all the bad things that had happened to her.

When they entered the building, all eyes turned to look at her. Including a pair that seemed to bore into her with such intensity the moment she had entered the room. She still wasn't ready to face the owner of those eyes just yet, so simply gave Remus a quick hug before giving a respectful nod to Dumbledore and Mr Weasley.

At least she had the excuse of packing as she retreated into the safety of her bedroom. Closing the door behind her, she leaned back against it and shut her eyes. Hermione knew she was being a coward by not facing him, or Aro for that matter, but truthfully she had been through enough conflict to last a lifetime or two. She just wanted a break from it all.

With a sigh, she pushed away from the door and pulled out her beaded bag. Luckily for her there wasn't a lot to pack, just some clothes including her dragon rider outfit and some toiletries. Other than that everything of importance that she owned was still in her small bag.

Starting with the things in the bedroom, she began to pick them up and pack them away neatly, tracing her finger along the smooth metal of the circlet, wondering when she would get the chance to wear it again.

Looking around the room, she made sure that there was nothing left, before making her way into the adjoining bathroom. She had only just entered the room when the door to her bedroom opened and closed.

Picking up her things she yelled out,

"Remus I'll be out in a minute; I'm just packing up the bathroom."

Again looking around to make sure she had everything, she stepped out into the bedroom saying,

"Sorry Remus I…." Stopping suddenly, she gazed at a familiar face, but it wasn't Remus who was standing there watching her. "Severus what are you doing?" She asked putting her things on the bed, before carefully packing them away also.

"I could ask you the same thing Hermione? I see you're packing; may I ask where you're going too." Severus asked, standing at the doorway blocking it so she couldn't get out. They needed to have this conversation and he was determined he wouldn't leave until they had.

She turned a brief glance towards him, before busying herself again with what she was doing.

"I'm going to Volterra. I need to get back."

Severus scowled causing the muscle in his jaw to twitch, as he tried to hide his annoyance, but failing miserably.

"So you're going back to him then?" He asked calmly, a little too calmly.

Hermione turned to look at him and frowned.

"I'm not going back to him no. I'm going back because I left something important there. I intend to leave Volterra just as quickly as I arrived, believe me."

"I see." Severus said, not sure whether to believe her or not. "May I ask you a question Hermione?"

She snorted and once again turned her gaze towards him.

"Aren't you doing that already?"

Ignoring her flippant statement Severus continued, asking her the question that had been plaguing him ever since the battle.

"Do you love him?" He asked, knowing that he had to, but dreading the answer nonetheless.

Hermione stopped what she was doing and sighed.

"Severus why are you asking me this? What good will come from knowing?"

"I have to know Hermione. Do you love him?"

Turning to face him, she shrugged her shoulders then said,

"Honestly I don't know. There was a time when I thought I could, but then things changed."

He slowly took a step closer to her and asked,

"What changed?"

Hermione really didn't want to answer any more questions, she really didn't want to be having this conversation with him just now either. But at the same time she felt as if she owed him that much.

"He changed. One minute he was sweet and charming, and then the next minute he had turned manipulative and nasty. Plus, it wasn't just him, there was you too."

He raised an eyebrow at her words, as his heart began beating rapidly in his chest.

"Me, what about me?"

Hermione looked away from him then, unable to stay under his intense gaze any longer.

"Despite what you may think Severus I do love you, you mean so much to me. But things change, we've both changed. Love just wasn't enough for us."

He swooped towards Hermione and grabbed her by the shoulders, wanting to touch her and to just be near her.

"We didn't change Hermione, circumstances changed." He said pushing a stray curl back behind her ear.

Unable to stop herself, Hermione nuzzled her cheek against his long pale hand, before realizing what she was doing.

"No." She said pulling herself away from him. "Severus please don't do this. I can't do this not now. I have to leave; I have to get back to Volterra."

Severus scowled at her words then whispered,

"You don't have to go back there. Surely nothing is that important."

Thinking of Morvin, of her daughter, she shook her head at his words and in a serious voice said,

"You're wrong. The most important thing I have in my life is there, and there's nothing that can keep me away any longer. I'm sorry Severus but I need to go." Taking a step towards him, she cupped his gaunt cheek with her hand before laying a small kiss on his lips. "I do love you Severus and I hope that friendship can be enough for you, because that is all I have to give." Rubbing her thumb against his smooth skin, she removed her hand before picking up her beaded bag. Looking at him again she whispered, "The girl you thought you loved is gone, you need to accept that."

Frowning he said,

"Why are we discussing Lily now?"

Hermione laughed, although it wasn't a true laugh.

"That proves my point Severus. The fact that you automatically thought of Lily when I said that, tells me everything that I need to know." Severus looked at her in confusion as he waited for her to continue speaking. "You may think that you are over Lily Evans but the truth is you're not, not really. Which means that you aren't ready for love yet. Secondly you haven't fully accepted me yet either. Severus the Hermione you knew is gone, she died that night in the Department of Mysteries. I may look like her a little, I may sound like her a little, but I'm not her. I'm dead. A vampire. The heart that beats within me is just a mirage, it's not real. I always knew that but you didn't. I should never have encouraged you, or gotten close to you the way I did, but something pulled us together. I'm not sure what exactly that was, but I should have fought it. I'm sorry I didn't." She took his hands in hers and smiled sadly. "Your friendship means a lot to me Severus and I don't want to lose you, but please stop living in the past. Concentrate on your future and just be happy."

Kissing his cheek, she went to open the bedroom door when he suddenly said,

"You're wrong about Lily you know."

Hermione squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, trying to calm her nerves before asking,

"What do you mean?"

She heard him sigh before he quietly said,

"When I think of my future, I don't see Lily Evans or a ghost, I see you and I together."

Without turning around, Hermione stood with her shaking hand on the door handle. And in a voice that was a lot calmer than what she felt said,

"Perhaps you do. But ask yourself this, when you see the two of us together, is it the Hermione Granger that I once was that you see yourself with, or the Hermione Granger that I am now. Be truthful, if not to me then to yourself. Goodbye Severus"

With nothing else left to say Hermione exited the bedroom, closing the door quietly behind her. The last thing she saw was Severus Snape, looking defeated as he slumped down onto the edge of the bed, his head buried in his hands, as he finally realized the truth of her words.

Heading into the living area where the others were, Hermione said her goodbyes, giving a lingering hug to Dumbledore before stealing one last glance at them all. Then with a small smile, she apparated away with a loud crack, using the full force of her magic.

* * *

The dome room of the Palazzo was fairly busy. After the battle most of the vampires had retreated back to Volterra to celebrate their victory over the Romanians. Only a small few had returned back to their own homes.

War didn't just bring conflict to people, it also brought peace, and with peace came friendships. Before the battle a large number of vampires disliked the Volturi and the power that they had, but since the battle, peace and harmony had been restored. A new understanding and respect had formed, as vampires finally realized what it was the Volturi were trying to do for them.

Marcus, Caius, Athenodora, Morvin, Felix, Demetri and various other members of the guard were currently in the dome room celebrating, when a loud and sudden bang sounded from the middle of the room, startling them all.

With all eyes turned to where the noise came from, Marcus rose to his feet when he saw his beloved daughter standing there looking healthy and in one piece. At the welcomed sight of her, a wide smile broke out across his face.

"Hermione." He whispered, as he made a move towards her. It seemed however, that he was too slow, as Morvin quickly ran past him, flying down the center of the room before flinging herself into Hermione's arms.

Stifling a sob Hermione crushed Morvin to her, not wanting to ever let her go again.

"I missed you so much little Mo. I just woke up and I came as soon as I could. I promise that you will never have to face anything like that again. It's over, it's all over."

Cupping the back of her head, Hermione simply held the little girl, as she inhaled her familiar scent.

" _You promised me you would never leave me. And you did, you did."_ The small angry voice yelled in Hermione's mind.

"I know sweetie, but believe me I never wanted to leave you. I had to do what I did though, otherwise the bad men would have won."

" _I thought I was never going to see you again. I was so scared."_

Hermione squeezed her daughter tighter and sobbed openly, relieved and happy to be back where she belonged. With Morvin.

"I was scared too and the last thought I had was of you sweetie. I regretted the fact that I never got to tell you just how much I loved you. I also regretted the fact that I should have asked you something before the battle but didn't."

Pulling away, Morvin looked at Hermione with big doe like eyes, neither one aware of the audience that had gathered around them. In that moment though, it was just the two of them no-one else. Not even Marcus.

" _You can ask me now."_ Morvin said innocently.

Smiling slightly, Hermione put Morvin back on the ground and cupped her face tenderly.

"Ok then I will." Hermione said with a warm smile. "I know we haven't been together long but the moment I met you I knew my life was complete. I love you, my darling little girl and I know I could never replace the family that you had. But I'm here for you now. I will _always_ be here for you, if you let me. I could be your sister or whatever you want me to be, as long as you'll have me."

For a moment neither one said anything, until finally Morvin shook her head. In that instant Hermione began to feel her heart slowly break, as she feared what Morvin was going to say.

" _I don't want that Hermione; I don't want a sister."_

Trying to push her own feelings to the side, Hermione gave her a hurt smile then said,

"Alright, I understand."

" _No, you don't understand. I don't want a sister."_ Morvin's small voice said sounding a little stronger this time.

"What do you want then sweetie, tell me?" Hermione whispered, trying to hide her hurt and confusion.

Morvin opened and closed her mouth several times, but only a low grumble escaped. Hermione watched with furrowed brows, then felt her heart soar as finally a small choking voice said,

"I…love…you…mother." It had been such a long time since Morvin had spoken out loud, so her voice was a little rough and rusty, but she had done it. She had said the thing she had been wanting too for a while now, and it was worth it by the look on Hermione's face.

Completely overwhelmed, Hermione let the joyous tears run freely down her cheeks, as she beamed at her daughter.

"You did it, you spoke. Morvin you spoke." She said not believing what she had just heard. Picking Morvin up, she held her close and spun her around. "I am so proud of you my darling girl. So proud." She kissed her head and grinned, just as Marcus came walking over to them, wearing a matching proud smile of his own.

"My beautiful girls." He whispered in awe, wrapping his arms around his family.

"Grand…. father." Morvin said sheepishly, earning more big smiles from her new family members.

"This is such a wonderful occasion, that I think we should celebrate." Marcus said smiling down at his daughter and granddaughter.

Hermione suddenly felt her heart tighten at his words, knowing that she was about to hurt him. But after hearing Morvin speak for the first time, she was even more determined to do what she had to. She knew leaving Volterra was the right thing for them. She just hoped that Marcus agreed as well.

"Actually could we go somewhere more private? There's something I need to tell you." Hermione said, taking Morvin's hand in her own.

"Of course, let's head to your quarters then."

Putting his arm around Hermione's back, the three of them walked to her empty quarters, before anyone else could interrupt their reunion. The whole journey there made Hermione nervous though, as she suddenly wondered where Aro was. He hadn't been in the dome room and his quarters were right next to hers, making her wonder if he was in them or not. And if he was, was Sulpicia in there with him too. She didn't want to think about them, but couldn't seem to stop herself.

Luckily however, they didn't encounter anyone as they finally entered Hermione's old rooms. If Marcus noticed that they were void of her things, he certainly didn't say anything. Instead he sat on her comfortable sofa and waited for Hermione to speak. Already having an inkling to what she was about to say.

"Father I am so glad that I made the choice to come here when I did, otherwise I wouldn't have gotten to know you, and you have come to mean a great deal to me, as you already know. You took me on as your daughter and cared for me, when I had no-one else. And I can't thank you enough for that and I hope that you continue to do so in the future." She took Marcus's hand in hers and looked between him and Morvin, feeling her nerve weaken slightly. "In the past few months I have been through so much, we all have, but I need a break. I feel like I've never had the chance to bond properly with Morvin, and she's never had the chance to just be herself. It's been one thing after another for her and I feel like she needs some normalcy in her life." She said looking at Morvin, who gave her an encouraging smile.

"I agree." Marcus said truthfully, but still, he felt the ache in his chest nonetheless.

"Which is why I think it would be best if Morvin and I left Volterra. We need to spend some quality time together, we need to have some fun and we can't do it here. Or rather I can't."

Those were the words that Marcus had been expecting to hear, but even still, hearing them left him with a bigger ache than before. He had just found his family and now he had to let them go. Life could be so cruel at times.

"I know Hermione, and I can't fault you for that. But remember you can come back here any time. And I can always visit you, alone of course if need be."

Hermione couldn't believe how understanding Marcus was being, so naturally she became suspicious.

"Where is Aro?" She asked curiously.

Marcus had been expecting that question also, but thought it would have taken her a lot longer to ask.

"He has left Volterra for a while with Sulpicia. As there are a few things that they have to deal with."

Hermione didn't know whether to feel relieved or saddened by that news, so pushing her feelings aside once more, she turned to Morvin and smiled.

"What do you think little Mo? What would you like to do?"

Even though Hermione wanted nothing more than to get away from here, she couldn't just do that to Morvin without her having a say first. This was her life too, and she needed to be a part of the decision as well.

Morvin sat silently for a moment, lost in thought. She would of course be sad to leave here, as she had made some good friends, and had a family. But no-one was as important to her as Hermione was. And wherever she went, she would go too. If she was honest with herself as well, she would also admit to wanting Hermione all to herself. So far since she had found her mother she had to share her with everyone. Now it would finally just be the two of them. And although she loved her new family, she loved Hermione and the idea of them being together more.

" _Can we go away, just the two of us?"_ She finally asked.

Hermione sighed with relief and smiled warmly at her daughter's' acceptance of the situation.

"Yes, it'll just be the two of us sweetie."

With those words Morvin wrapped Hermione in a tight hug and grinned happily, until Marcus cut in.

"When are you leaving?" He asked.

Moving out of Morvin's arms, Hermione turned her gaze towards Marcus then took his hand in hers.

"As soon as I've said goodbye to everyone." She admitted.

He nodded in understanding, before squeezing her hand tightly in reply. He wasn't ready to let her go just yet, but knew he had too. For all their sakes.

Clearing the lump, he suddenly felt in his throat, Marcus got to his feet before helping Hermione to hers. If he had to say goodbye, then he wanted it over with quickly.

"Very well then. I suggest you start now, as you seem to have required a lot of new friends."

Understanding filled Hermione then at what Marcus was trying to do. So wrapping her arms around his neck and softly kissing his cheek, she smiled and whispered,

"Thank you father."

Once more the three vampires set off back to the dome room and while Morvin was distracted by Athenodora, Hermione began to say her goodbyes, starting with her two best friends.

"You can write to us and let us know how you're doing, and we can come and visit you wherever you are in the world. It won't be too hard for me to track you down my little witchling." Demetri said, hugging her tightly.

"Yeah don't think you can get rid of us that easily, witchling." Felix added, before hugging her next.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Hermione said with a sad smile. "We're the dream team you know." The other two vampires laughed at her while she moved on to Caius.

Hugging him she smiled then said,

"I never thought you would be the hugging type."

He gave her a smug smile before whispering,

"They are reserved for those who are special to me. Take care Hermione and please don't forget us."

Feeling honored by his words Hermione nodded, as she tried to find her voice again.

"I won't forget, I promise."

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she moved on to say her goodbyes to Heidi, Chelsea and the rest of the Volturi guard, thanking them for everything they had done for her, before finally stopping at Jane.

Digging in her small beaded bag, Hermione brought out a small box and looked towards the girl she had once seen as a threat and an enemy.

"I know we are never going to be best friends or anything like that, but I never thanked you properly for saving my life during the battle. If you hadn't then everything could have been lost. Here-" Hermione said holding out the small box to her. "I want you to have this. It belonged to my mother Jean."

Opening the box with her small hands, Jane looked stunned when she saw the simple necklace with the 'J' pendent hanging from a delicate gold chain.

"I can't accept this." She said, sounding amazed at the kindness the other vampire was bestowing on her. Especially when she had done nothing to earn such kindness in the first place.

"Please I would really like for you to have it."

Red eyes stared into Hermione's, searching for any kind of deception. Seeing none, a small genuine smile graced Jane's lips.

"Thank you." With that peace was restored between the two former enemies.

Having said her goodbyes to everyone, she let Morvin say her own farewells, before finally they were ready to leave.

Glancing around the dome room one last time, Hermione could feel her heart clench slightly. Even though she hadn't wanted to see him, she couldn't help but feel disappointed by the fact that Aro wasn't there. She would have liked to have caught a glimpse of his face before she left Volterra. But obviously it was not meant to be, and she couldn't prolong things anymore.

Taking Morvin's small hand in her own, they shared one last group hug with Marcus before Hermione apparated them away. Ready to start their own new adventure in the world.

Staring at the spot Hermione and Morvin had just been, Marcus was roused by Caius's voice.

"Are you going to tell him or shall I?" He simply asked.

Marcus sighed and rubbed his eyes, feeling suddenly bereft and empty.

"I think it would be best, if I told him."

Caius patted Marcus on the back and said,

"Good luck brother."

With that Marcus left the dome room and headed towards his own quarters. When he entered the room, Aro was standing there alone at the fireplace, holding a piece of paper and looking tense. With Marcus's arrival, Aro quickly tossed the piece of paper into a small fire and watched it burn before saying,

"Have they gone?"

Marcus sighed and rubbed his eyes again, feeling the ache burn deeply within his chest. If this was how he was feeling, he didn't dare imagine how Aro was.

"Yes they've gone." Taking a step towards his brother Marcus said, "Aro are you sure letting them go was the right thing to do? Perhaps you should have tried to at least persuade them to stay? This is their home after all."

Finally turning around to face Marcus, it was a disheveled looking Aro who greeted him. His clothes were untidy and in disarray, his usually perfect hair was unkempt and full of tangles, and he had large dark circles under his almost black eyes. He hadn't fed since he had returned, feeling no need in sustaining himself.

Ever since he had saved Hermione from the burning fire, he had known what he had to do. But doing it wasn't as easy as it sounded, and came at a price.

"It was the right thing to do brother, and soon you will realize that. I had to let her go, I had to give her back her freedom. If Hermione had stayed here she would have hated me, and I couldn't bear that happening." Turning his back on Marcus, he used a hot poker to move the ash from the piece of paper he had just burned. "I had to let her go in order to win her love the honest way."

Marcus had seen Aro do many things before, most of which weren't good and were all about what was best for him. But for the first time in such a long time, Aro was putting someone else's feelings before his own, and the whole thing was taking it out on him.

"What if she chooses never to come back? What if in the end she doesn't love you in return?" Marcus asked.

Aro sighed and still with his back turned said,

"If that happens, then there's nothing I can do. I love Hermione, brother. I want her to be happy. And if that's not here with me, then so be it."

Aro's mind was already made up and there was nothing anyone could do to change it.


	36. Chapter 36

**Here is a sneaky little bonus for you all. The piece of paper that Aro burned was a letter that was never going to be sent. Enjoy and thank you to all my lovely readers. Part 3 will be up soon. Xx**

 _ **Mio cara Hermione,**_

 _ **I never thought that I would ever have the courage to write this letter to anyone, but here I am, writing it to you. Most people accuse me of being a coward and hiding behind those who have more power than I, and in a way they are correct. Look at the guard for example, where would I be without them.**_

 _ **Believe me when I say that letting you go has been the hardest decision I have ever had to make in my life, and has taken all the courage and bravery that I possess to do so. You once asked me something, do you remember, the night of the ball. If not, then let me remind you now. You asked if I loved you and at the time I was foolish enough to give you a ridiculous answer. If you were to ask me now however, I would be able to say that yes, yes I do love you. More than anything else in this world in fact. Which is why I decided to let you go. I would do anything for you mio cara, anything to see that beautiful smile grace your perfect lips again, knowing that it was I who caused it.**_

 _ **Forgive me my love, for the way that I treated you. For the things that I said and done that caused you hurt and pain. There is nothing I can say that will excuse my previous behavior, except that I did what I did, because I thought I was keeping you safe. Instead I was only pushing you further away from me, when I should have been embracing you fully while I had the chance. I'm sorry for not doing so.**_

 _ **I could never deny you anything and if you had come to me demanding your freedom, I would have relented, despite how much you being away from me hurts. Instead I opted for the cowards' way out and hid, knowing that you were going to leave me anyway. I couldn't have stood there and watched as you left, without wanting to fling myself down at your feet and beg you to stay. To stay and be mines forever. So I hid away, knowing that it was the best thing for both of us.**_

 _ **It is my turn to ask you a question now Hermione. Do you love me? If not now could you ever? Forgive a foolish old man his dreams. But I like to hope that you could love me back someday. I need to believe that one day you will return to me, otherwise if I don't I'm afraid I may wither away to nothing. I don't tell you this to try and guilt you into staying, I tell you this because it is the truth. I love you Hermione, only you. It has taken me a lifetime to find you, and you my love, were worth the wait.**_

 _ **It pains me to say this but if I have to wait another lifetime for you then I will do so, because you mio cara are everything to me. All I want is for your happiness.**_

 _ **I think that I shall end this letter here, so go, and leave now before I do or say something that I will regret later. But just know that you will forever be in my heart and never far from my thoughts.**_

 _ **With all that I am and all that I have, I am eternally yours.**_

 **End of Part Two**


	37. Chapter 37

**Hi everyone just to let you know that Part 3 is now up. Thank you for reading TVWOH xx**


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